Abstract
Behavior that brings instant gratification tends to be repeated. Despite its negative effects, frequent repetition in the long run becomes a habit or addiction.
In recent decades there is the trend to extend the term substance addiction to behavioral (non-substance) addiction in the psychiatric literature. This trend is also reflected among other things in the recently released DSM-5 and the upcoming ICD-11th.
The reason for the common classification of these addiction groups is the fact that they share some common features which can be divided into four basic areas: genetic, neurobiological, personality, and clinical characteristics, as well as high common comorbidity (approximately one third to one half of people suffering from behavioral addiction show symptoms of substance addiction). In the treatment of behavioral addictions are used similar interventions as in the case of substance addictions.
One fundamental difference is in the goal of therapy. With the exception of pathological gambling behavioral addictions are often activities that are common and sometimes vital, so it is not entirely possible to choose a therapeutic target of total abstinence.
Finding similarities authors conclude that people become addicted not directly to some substance or to particular behavior, but to experiences, to which they lead to, and which are in many respects identical. It seems that there is only one addiction that can be generalized as a disharmony, reducing itself to a single principle, under which happiness comes only from satisfying one need, a certain behavior or of relating to an object that makes forget the worries.