Behavioural addictions as a way to classify behaviours.

The concept of behavioural addiction as a way to classify behaviours that mirror the symptoms and consequences of classic alcohol and drug addictions has become of great interest to researchers and clinicians.' This is, in part, due to ongoing discussions regarding the creation of a category for behavioural addictions within the general class of substance use disorders in DSM-5, scheduled for release in May 2013.^ To date, PG is the only proposed member of the category, but it signals the recognition by the scientific community of what the National Institute on Drug Abuse considers relatively pure models of addiction because the presence of an exogenous substance does not contaminate their processes.'