A systematic review of pharmacological treatments for Internet Gaming Disorder.

Introduction: Gaming disorder (GD) is an increasingly common behavioural addiction, with estimated global prevalence rates of 3%. A variety of pharmacological treatments have been used to treat GD, yet no review to date has synthesized clinical trials evaluating their efficacy. This systematic review therefore synthesized the literature reporting on clinical trials of pharmacological treatments for GD. Method: We reviewed articles from MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed Central, CINAHL, and PsycINFO that were published as of March of 2022. A total of 828 articles were retrieved for review and 12 articles were included, reporting on a total of 724 participants. Results: Most participants were male (98.6%), and all were currently living in South Korea. The most common drugs used to treat GD were bupropion, methylphenidate, and a range of selective-serotonin reuptake-inhibitors. The Young Internet Addiction Scale was the most frequently instrument to measure gaming-related outcomes. All studies reported reduced symptoms of GD from pre-to post-treatment. Across all clinical trials, GD symptom reductions following the administration of pharmacological treatments ranged from 15.4% to 51.4%. Conclusion: Preliminary results suggest that a wide array of pharmacological interventions may be efficacious in the treatment of GD. Future studies using double-blind randomized controlled trial designs, recruiting larger and more representative samples, and controlling for psychiatric comorbidities are needed to better inform understanding of pharmacological treatments for GD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]