This was an April Fool’s day prank on April 1, 2018!
On March 31, 2018, the American Psychiatric Association announced the addition of the first new diagnosis to the DSM-5 since it was first published in 2013.
The DSM-5 committee voted 27 to 3 to approve the addition of Binge-Watching Disorder to the DSM-5 chapter on Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders.
“While watching movies and various shows is normal relaxing behavior, binge-watching is an addictive behavior just like other addictions and can have a truly harmful effect on the person’s life,” said Dr. Nat Flecks, Director of the committee that approved the diagnosis. “An estimated loss of 4.3 billion dollars every year in lost productivity can be attributed to Binge-Watching Disorder,” he added.
Key diagnostic criteria for the disorder include:
– Recurrent episodes of binge-watching. An episode of binge-watching is characterized by both of the following:
– Watching, in a discrete period of time (e.g., within any 4-hour period), multiple movies or episodes of shows.
– A sense of lack of control over the watching of these movies or shows
Other features of the disorder include:
– Watching the movies or shows in situations and at times when it is not appropriate (e.g., watching at work or late at night when the person should be sleeping)
– Feeling disgusted with oneself, depressed, or very guilty afterward.
– The binge watching occurs, on average, at least once a week for 3 months.
Have you seen patients with Binge-Watching Disorder? Do you agree with the addition of this diagnosis into the DSM-5? Please post your comments at the bottom of the page–under “Leave a Reply” at the bottom of this page.
Related Pages
References
American Psychiatric Association: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition. Arlington, VA, American Psychiatric Association, 2013.
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I just received news from Dr. “Nat Flecks,” who was mentioned in the post, that this news about a new diagnosis was an April Fool’s day prank. Hope you enjoyed it though!
Make it a type of addiction rather than yet another separate diagnosis in its own right
Please say this is an April Fool’s joke! Please.
Dr. Nat Flecks?? Really???
Brilliant. Just brilliant.
Netflix is hiring Professional Binge Watchers.
To widen the concept one can use any normal behaviour which is done repeatedly in improper time with a subjective sense of lack of control and guilt and put its name between the two words binge and disorder and create a new diagnosis.
April fool prank??
My thought as well
obviously