Current Advances in Behavioral Addictions: From Fundamental Research to Clinical Practice

Affiliations

Affiliation

¹ General Psychology-Cognition, Faculty of Computer Science, University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany (Brand, Antons, Wegmann); Center for Behavioral Addiction Research, Center for Translational Neuro- and Behavioral Sciences, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany (Brand, Antons, Wegmann); Erwin L. Hahn Institute for Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Essen, Germany (Brand, Antons); Department of Psychology, University of Montreal, Montreal (Bőthe); Interdisciplinary Research Center on Intimate Relationship Problems and Sexual Abuse (CRIPCAS), Montreal (Bőthe); College of Education, Psychology, and Social Work, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia (Demetrovics, King); Institute of Psychology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest (Demetrovics); Center of Excellence in Responsible Gaming, University of Gibraltar, Gibraltar (Demetrovics); School of Life and Medical Sciences, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, UK (Fineberg); Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust, Welwyn Garden City, UK (Fineberg); University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Cambridge, UK (Fineberg); Department of Clinical Psychology, Bellvitge University Hospital, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), Barcelona (Jimenez-Murcia); Ciber Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Barcelona (Jimenez-Murcia); Psychoneurobiology of Eating and Addictive Behaviors Group, Neurosciences Program, IDIBELL, Barcelona (Jimenez-Murcia); Department of Clinical Sciences, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona (Jimenez-Murcia); Psychology Services of the University of Barcelona, Barcelona (Jimenez-Murcia); Instituto de Investigación, Transferencia e Innovación, Universidad Internacional de La Rioja, La Rioja, Spain (Mestre-Bach); Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padua, Italy (Moretta); Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Hannover Medical School, Hanover, Germany (Müller); Departments of Psychiatry, Neuroscience, and Child Study and Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT (Potenza); Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling, Wethersfield, CT (Potenza); Connecticut Mental Health Center, New Haven, CT (Potenza).

PMID: 39659159
DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.20240092

Review

Current Advances in Behavioral Addictions: From Fundamental Research to Clinical Practice

Matthias Brand et al. Am J Psychiatry. 2025.

. 2025 Feb 1;182(2):155-163.

doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.20240092. Epub 2024 Dec 11.

Affiliation

¹ General Psychology-Cognition, Faculty of Computer Science, University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany (Brand, Antons, Wegmann); Center for Behavioral Addiction Research, Center for Translational Neuro- and Behavioral Sciences, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany (Brand, Antons, Wegmann); Erwin L. Hahn Institute for Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Essen, Germany (Brand, Antons); Department of Psychology, University of Montreal, Montreal (Bőthe); Interdisciplinary Research Center on Intimate Relationship Problems and Sexual Abuse (CRIPCAS), Montreal (Bőthe); College of Education, Psychology, and Social Work, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia (Demetrovics, King); Institute of Psychology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest (Demetrovics); Center of Excellence in Responsible Gaming, University of Gibraltar, Gibraltar (Demetrovics); School of Life and Medical Sciences, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, UK (Fineberg); Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust, Welwyn Garden City, UK (Fineberg); University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Cambridge, UK (Fineberg); Department of Clinical Psychology, Bellvitge University Hospital, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), Barcelona (Jimenez-Murcia); Ciber Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Barcelona (Jimenez-Murcia); Psychoneurobiology of Eating and Addictive Behaviors Group, Neurosciences Program, IDIBELL, Barcelona (Jimenez-Murcia); Department of Clinical Sciences, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona (Jimenez-Murcia); Psychology Services of the University of Barcelona, Barcelona (Jimenez-Murcia); Instituto de Investigación, Transferencia e Innovación, Universidad Internacional de La Rioja, La Rioja, Spain (Mestre-Bach); Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padua, Italy (Moretta); Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Hannover Medical School, Hanover, Germany (Müller); Departments of Psychiatry, Neuroscience, and Child Study and Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT (Potenza); Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling, Wethersfield, CT (Potenza); Connecticut Mental Health Center, New Haven, CT (Potenza).

PMID: 39659159
DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.20240092

Abstract

Gambling disorder is the only behavioral addiction recognized as a clinical disorder in DSM-5, and Internet gaming disorder is included as a condition requiring further research. ICD-11 categorizes gambling and gaming disorders as disorders due to addictive behaviors. Additional behavioral addictions may include compulsive sexual behavior disorder, compulsive buying-shopping disorder, and problematic use of social media. This narrative review summarizes the current state of knowledge regarding these five (potential) disorders due to addictive behaviors. All five (potential) disorders are clinically relevant and prevalent. Behavioral addictions frequently co-occur with other mental and behavioral problems, such as depression, anxiety, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Validated diagnostic instruments exist, with empirical support varying across conditions. No medications have approved indications from regulatory bodies for behavioral addictions, and cognitive-behavioral therapy has the most empirical support for efficacious treatment. Given that behavioral addictions are prevalent, frequently co-occur with psychiatric disorders, may often go undiagnosed and untreated, and have been linked to poorer treatment outcomes, active screening and treatment are indicated. Public health considerations should be expanded, and impacts of modern technologies should be investigated more intensively. Treatment optimization involving pharmacotherapy, psychotherapy, neuromodulation, and their combination warrants additional investigation.

Keywords: Gambling; Gaming; Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Drs. Brand, Demetrovics, King, Müller, and Potenza are board members of the International Society for the Study of Behavioral Addictions. Dr. Demetrovics’s university (ELTE Eötvös Loránd University) receives funding from Szerencsejáték Ltd. (the gambling operator of the Hungarian government) to maintain a telephone helpline service for problematic gambling, and his other university (University of Gibraltar) receives funding from the Gibraltar Gambling Care Foundation and donations from gambling operators through the LCCP RET process supervised by the UK Gambling Commission. Dr. Fineberg has held research or networking grants from the National Institute for Health and Care Research, COST Action, the EU, UK Research and Innovation, and Orchard; she has received travel and/or hospitality expense coverage from the British Association for Psychopharmacology, the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology, the Royal College of Psychiatrists, the International College of Neuropsychopharmacology, the International Forum of Mood and Anxiety Disorders, and the World Psychiatric Association; she has received payment from Elsevier for editorial duties and the Mental Health Academy and Children and Screens for lecturing; she leads an NHS treatment service for OCD; she is a board member for various registered charities linked to OCD; she provides expert advice on psychopharmacology to the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency; and she has participated in a WHO working group focusing on diagnosis and classification of obsessive-compulsive or related disorders for ICD-11. Dr. Potenza has served as a consultant for the Addiction Policy Forum, AXA, BariaTek, Game Day Data, Idorsia Pharmaceuticals, and Opiant Therapeutics and has served as a consultant and/or adviser for gambling, health care, nonprofit, and legal entities on issues related to impulse control, Internet use, and/or addictive disorders; he has been involved in a patent application with Yale University and Novartis; he has received research support from Children and Screens, the Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling, and Mohegan Sun Casino; and he has participated in surveys, mailings, or telephone consultations related to drug addiction, impulse control disorders, and other health topics. All of the authors have performed grant reviews for research funding agencies, and/or edited journals or journal sections, and/or given academic lectures in clinical or scientific venues, and/or produced book chapters for publishers of mental health texts.

Publication types

Actions

MeSH terms

Actions
Actions
Actions
Actions
Actions
Actions
Actions
Actions
Actions
Actions
Actions

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources
- Atypon
Medical
- MedlinePlus Health Information

Save citation to file

Email citation

Add to Collections

Add to My Bibliography

Your saved search

Create a file for external citation management software

Your RSS Feed

Current Advances in Behavioral Addictions: From Fundamental Research to Clinical Practice

Affiliation

Current Advances in Behavioral Addictions: From Fundamental Research to Clinical Practice

Authors

Affiliation

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

Publication types

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources

Medical