Pathologies associated with behavioral addictions

When addiction occurs alongside another mental disorder, we speak of dual diagnosis , which is very common in behavioral addictions. For example, studies indicate that up to 86% of cases of gaming disorder meet the criteria for another mental health diagnosis. The most common comorbidities (conditions that occur simultaneously) found alongside behavioral addictions include mood disorders such as depression, anxiety disorders (which can be generalized or specific; social or academic anxiety is very common), ADHD , conduct disorders , and autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

In addition to occurring alongside other mental disorders, behavioral addictions in adolescents are linked to other psychological problems such as insomnia, stress, hostility, self-harm, and deficits in social skills, as well as poor academic performance and troubled family relationships.

It is important to highlight that adolescence is a key period for developing social skills, and excessive screen time can lead to a decrease in face-to-face interactions, causing young people to become less socially adept due to a lack of real-world practice. Consequently, their anxieties about relationships increase, leading them to avoid them , and a kind of vicious cycle develops where they don't socialize because they lack confidence, and they don't gain confidence in social interactions because they don't practice. Loneliness is a key factor in behavioral addictions and most associated pathologies, so it is advisable to consider it both in the detection of the disorder and in its prevention and treatment, ensuring access to tools for improving social skills and opportunities for developing them.

They are related to other psychological problems such as insomnia, stress, hostility, self-harm or deficits in social skills, and with poor school performance and problematic family relationships.

On the other hand, it has been shown that it can cause possible consequences, especially in vulnerable populations, both at a physical and psychological level, as well as in the social, economic and legal spheres.

• Physical: sedentary lifestyle, obesity, malnutrition, exhaustion, sleep problems, eye strain from excessive "blue light", myopia, headaches, injuries to the hands or neck, hearing problems, continuous partial attention, etc.
• Psychological: emotional instability, feeling of activity and control, feeling of achievement, happiness and recognition, anxiety, depression, stress and other types of negative emotions, indifference to violence, online violence, mood swings and irritability, introversion or isolation, feelings of loneliness, etc.
• Social: aggression and conflict at the family level, deterioration of family and social relationships, decreased academic performance, school absenteeism, abandonment of usual leisure or free time activities, etc.
• Economic and legal: robberies, crimes, illegal gambling, etc.