Dependence on computer online games as a subtype of internet addiction (literature review)

This literature review is devoted to the problem of the leading subtype of the Internet addiction - dependence on computer online games. The relevance of the study is caused by the unprecedented clinical and social significance of the pathological use of networked computer games among adults and adolescents worldwide. Provisions are made about the discreteness of the nosological independence of the Internet addiction, the importance of differentiating various subtypes of Internet-dependent behavior is described, severity of the addictogenic potential of computer online games is emphasized. The following presentation concerns epidemiology, criteria and diagnostic tools, clinics, dynamics, comorbidity and treatment of Internet addiction / game computer dependency. In conclusion, the importance of including dependence on computer online games in the third section of the DSM-V is emphasized, since the latter will lead to a consensus in terms of verification and therapy of this psychopathological phenomenon.