Problem:
When I think about the complexity of diagnosing across different disorders, Hoarding Disorder (HD) and Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) stand out as interesting examples. Hoarding Disorder is officially recognized in the DSM-5-TR, with criteria focusing on difficulty discarding, clutter, and impairment. A common tool for this is the Saving Inventory-Revised (SI-R), including newer shorter versions like the SI-R9 and SI-R3. These scales are reliable, but they can be tricky in practice because sometimes saving or collecting has cultural or economic roots, and without context, someone could be mislabeled (American Psychiatric Association, 2022; Sarvestani et al., 2025). Need Assignment Help?
Internet Gaming Disorder, on the other hand, is still considered provisional and is assessed with tools like the IGDS9-SF. What makes IGD especially challenging is that its criteria were modeled after substance use disorders, which doesn't always capture the nuances of gaming. Recent studies have shown that cultural differences and even gaming subcultures can influence how people respond to IGDS items, which makes it difficult to apply the same cutoff scores everywhere (Blandón-Castaño et al., 2024).
For behavioral health providers, the biggest challenge is balancing standardized assessments with cultural sensitivity. A checklist alone doesn't account for whether a behavior is truly pathological or simply normal in a certain context. Without taking the time to use tools like the Cultural Formulation Interview, clinicians risk either overdiagnosing or missing key struggles (Fogel et al., 2024).
As for addiction trends, I think behavioral addictions like gaming and social media are underdiagnosed. People often minimize these issues, and the diagnostic criteria are still evolving. On the flip side, alcohol use disorder remains highly prevalent, but I'd argue it's more under-detected than overdiagnosed since many people never get properly screened or treated (Kranzler, 2023).
Respond to your peers by providing an alternative perspective to the challenges providers may encounter when working with specific addictions or if they are over or under diagnosed with evidence to back your response.
Use in-text citations and references.