What Is a Recognized Diagnosis, and What Remains a Debated Concept?

“I'm addicted to my phone,” “I'm a workaholic,” and “It's just burnout” are familiar ways to begin a conversation. They do not answer the same question. One name may identify a clinical disorder in an international classification. Another may name a subject of research. A third may describe difficulty at work without naming a disease. The distinction matters because it shapes what we can reasonably conclude about ourselves and where we can seek help.

If there is an immediate threat to life or health—for example, signs of overdose, a serious condition after stopping substance use, serious medical effects of disrupted eating, risk of harming yourself or someone else, coercion, or violence—seek urgent local medical help or protection now. Do not wait for an exact diagnosis or fill in the questions below first. How to obtain urgent help depends on where you are and what is happening.

What a classification can and cannot tell us

The World Health Organization's ICD-11 provides shared names for recording and describing health conditions. WHO issued a 2026 release of ICD-11 in February; its release notice does not itself set out every change to individual categories. WHO's clinical manual is intended for professionals assessing a person in the context of their life, rather than for readers trying to diagnose themselves from an article. WHO, ICD-11 2026 release WHO, description of the ICD-11 clinical manual

The presence of a name in a classification does not turn every interest, habit, or isolated symptom into an illness. The absence of a separate entry does not make someone's suffering imaginary. A classification answers whether a category is recognized; understanding a particular person's needs also calls for discussion of consequences, safety, other possible explanations, and available care. ICD-11 and the American DSM-5-TR do not always make the same decisions. When discussing a category, we should say which system we mean.

What ICD-11 names, and where the systems differ

WHO's displayed list has a group of disorders due to substance use. Under disorders due to addictive behaviours, it names gambling disorder and gaming disorder involving video games. The list also has broader “other specified” and “unspecified” categories. Those entries do not make every new word ending in “addiction” a separately approved diagnosis. WHO, ICD-11 terminology list

Topic	What the checked source supports	What does not follow
Alcohol, opioids, and other substances	ICD-11 has a group of disorders due to substance use.	Use of a substance, or one sign of physical adaptation, does not itself establish a disorder.
Gambling and video games	ICD-11 names two distinct categories under addictive behaviours.	A bet, a game, or many hours alone does not establish a diagnosis.
Internet gaming in DSM-5-TR	The American Psychiatric Association describes internet gaming disorder as a condition for further study, outside the main list of established DSM-5-TR diagnoses.	ICD-11 status cannot simply be transferred to DSM-5-TR; gaming is not the same as all internet use.

The Association calls gambling disorder the only behavioural addiction identified in DSM-5-TR. This is a difference between classifications, not a debate about whether a person in distress deserves help. For most people, gaming or gambling does not bring significant harm; a smaller group experiences serious disruption. There is no universal number of hours that settles the matter. Clinical assessment asks what is happening to control, priorities, consequences, and everyday functioning. American Psychiatric Association, internet gaming and DSM-5-TR WHO, addictive behaviour

A clinical problem need not be an “addiction”

Compulsive sexual behaviour disorder is present in ICD-11, but it is grouped with impulse-control disorders. It does not make strong sexual interest or pornography viewing a diagnosis. A scholarly review of selected ICD-11 categories explains why moral disapproval of one's own thoughts or actions, by itself, cannot establish this diagnosis. Shame, a conflict with personal values, and genuine difficulties may still call for a respectful conversation and support without an imposed label. A professional needs to consider persistent loss of control, significant effects on life, other conditions, and the source of distress. Reed and colleagues, review of ICD-11 categories

Eating disorders and body dysmorphic disorder are different clinical concerns. They should not be renamed “food addiction” or “appearance addiction” because some actions look superficially similar. An eating disorder can be serious at different body weights; it is not a failure of willpower. Body dysmorphic disorder is not vanity. These conditions can coexist with other difficulties, but merit their own professional assessment. Physical complications of eating difficulties call for medical care without waiting for a person to find the “right” label. This is no reason to impose food restrictions on yourself, try exposure challenges, or self-diagnose. NIMH, eating disorders NHS, body dysmorphic disorder

Physical adaptation is not the same as a substance use disorder

People sometimes use “dependence” to mean physical adaptation to a medicine: the body's response may change during prolonged use, and stopping may produce withdrawal symptoms. That matters medically, but it cannot automatically be equated with a substance use disorder. For example, a CDC page for clinicians says that when opioids are taken solely under appropriate medical supervision, tolerance and withdrawal alone are not counted as signs of opioid use disorder. This qualification is specific to that situation. It does not mean prescribed medicines cannot cause harm or that other concerns need no assessment. CDC, clinician page on opioid use disorder assessment

If you are concerned about a medicine or develop symptoms when its use changes, discuss this with the prescriber or another accessible doctor. Abruptly stopping prescribed treatment, changing the dose yourself, or attempting to “test” whether you have an addiction can be unsafe. Seek urgent local help for a serious condition. A careful conversation can acknowledge real physical adaptation without assigning a diagnosis that has not been established.

When a research term is not yet a separate diagnosis

“Smartphone addiction,” “shopping addiction,” “work addiction,” and “exercise addiction” appear in research and everyday speech. They do not appear as individually named categories alongside gambling and gaming in WHO's displayed list. Researchers discuss whether particular repetitive behaviours might belong in ICD-11's “other specified” category; a scientific discussion is not a WHO decision to approve each suggested name. A review of exercise-related research also notes how hard it can be to distinguish strong engagement from harmful patterns using self-reports alone. WHO, ICD-11 terminology list Brand and colleagues, research discussion of other categories Review of problematic exercise research

A phone screen alone does not show what someone is doing: contacting family, working, gaming, or placing bets. Long working hours may reflect debt or fear of losing a job, not only an inner urge. Exercise may be enjoyable, part of a profession, or connected to an eating disorder. Shopping may be linked to a different mental-health or life problem. These examples do not erase harm. They show why a vivid label or a questionnaire score cannot replace an account of circumstances. A professional can address a real difficulty and consider a suitable category even when a popular name is not a separate diagnosis.

Burnout has another status again

People often mention burnout alongside “workaholism.” In WHO's explanation from May 2019, burnout is an occupational phenomenon in ICD-11, specific to the work context. WHO did not classify it as a medical condition or a form of addiction. That description does not tell us whether a particular person also has depression, anxiety, sleep problems, or another condition. Nor does it excuse unsafe working conditions. WHO, 28 May 2019 explanation of burnout

When work is exhausting someone, both working conditions and health deserve attention. A request for a different workload, professional consultation, or help with employment rights will depend on local options and the person's circumstances. No one has to prove “real work addiction” to take exhaustion seriously. Equally, the word “burnout” should not hide symptoms that call for separate medical assessment.

How to act while the label is unclear

Begin with what you can describe: changes in sleep, health, work, study, relationships, spending, and freedom to choose; what you have tried and what happened; medicines prescribed and any changes in how they were taken. This is material for a conversation, not a home test. In a life-threatening situation, dangerous withdrawal, serious physical effects of restricted eating, violence, or threats, seek urgent local help as described at the start. The questions below are optional.

For a nonurgent consultation, you might ask a locally available service or professional whether they address your concern, accept new patients, what the wait and cost are, whether suitable language and format are possible, what remains private, and how follow-up works. The U.S. agency SAMHSA suggests checking availability, waiting lists, and payment in advance. The other questions are the authors' practical suggestions, not a universal promise from a service. Requesting an appointment is not the same as receiving care, and local privacy rules differ. SAMHSA, preparing an appointment

Five optional prompts for a conversation

Use these with yourself or a professional if it is safe and comfortable to reflect now:

What is causing harm or concern now, and what still has value in my life?
When does my range of choice narrow, and which outside conditions play a part?
Are there changes in my health or prescribed medicines that a doctor should know about?
What help do I want first: medical assessment, a conversation, protection, changes in my circumstances, or a combination?
What information am I willing to share, and with whom, to get help without unnecessary disclosure?

A loved one can offer help finding a service, getting there, or starting a conversation if the adult concerned wants that help. Consent and privacy matter more than secretly monitoring a screen, spending, or body. Children need safety and adults who arrange qualified help; a child should not be made to monitor another family member. If coercion or violence is present, protection matters regardless of what the other person's behaviour is called. Love, faith, meaning, and supportive relationships can be resources, but they are not conditions for access to care and cannot replace it. A useful next step is to find help that fits the difficulty itself, even if its exact name remains open.

Sources and limits

WHO. Alcohol, Drugs and Addictive Behaviours: terminology, accessible page checked 14 October 2026. Displayed ICD-11 category list, not the full clinical manual.
WHO. Addictive behaviour, accessible page checked 14 October 2026. Public-health distinction between common activity and significant impairment, not an individual assessment.
WHO. ICD-11 2026 Release, 16 February 2026. Evidence of the release; the notice does not list the status of every category discussed here.
WHO. Clinical descriptions and diagnostic requirements for ICD-11 (CDDR), publication page dated 8 March 2024. Describes the clinical manual and its audience; the full PDF was unavailable for reading during preparation.
American Psychiatric Association. Internet Gaming, page physician-reviewed January 2023. Public explanation of gaming's DSM-5-TR status, not a reading of the full diagnostic manual.
Reed GM and colleagues. Emerging experience with selected new categories in the ICD-11, World Psychiatry, 2022. Scholarly review of categories including compulsive sexual behaviour and overpathologizing risk; not an individual diagnosis.
WHO. Burn-out an “occupational phenomenon”, 28 May 2019. Dated explanation of the workplace context, not a current clinical assessment of any person.
NIMH. Eating Disorders: What You Need to Know, revised 2024. Official information about seriousness and U.S. care access, not a home diagnostic checklist.
NHS. Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), last reviewed 18 October 2023. Public information and UK care context; access elsewhere may differ.
CDC. Opioid Use Disorder: Diagnosis, 16 April 2024. Clinical page with a narrow qualification about tolerance and withdrawal under medical supervision, not an instruction to alter medication.
Brand M and colleagues. Which conditions should be considered… “other specified disorders due to addictive behaviors”?, online 2020, journal issue 2022. Research discussion; only the abstract was accessible during preparation, not the full paper or a WHO decision.
Exercise addiction: A review and evaluation of current research and theory, review with PubMed abstract accessible during preparation on 14 October 2026. Measurement and interpretation limits; the full paper was not read.
SAMHSA. How to Set Up an Appointment for Mental Health and Substance Use Care, updated 24 April 2023. A search excerpt about waiting lists and payment was accessible; direct page reading was unavailable, and local conditions need checking.

About the authors

Andrey Zarinsh — author and founder of United Wisdom. He explores inner transformation, the unity of traditions, intercultural dialogue, and contemporary spiritual discipline. Instagram: @andrey.zarinsh.

Maria Evilkut — co-author of United Wisdom. Alongside her research, she seeks to test these ideas in practice and observe how the principles of unity and mutual understanding work in real life between people and cultures. Instagram: @ilkutki.

Content last reviewed: 14 October 2026.