Encyclopedia of Mental Health, Third Edition: Volume 1-3

This article describes the construct of “behavioral addiction” and its place within addiction nosology. To accomplish this goal, we will begin by considering the idea of addiction in general (e.g., the etiology and epidemiology of the disorder), and we will use the addiction syndrome model to guide this discussion (Shaffer et al., 2004, 2012a,b). The syndrome model will focus and guide our consideration of a shared etiology of substance and behavior-based addiction by examining the antecedents of addiction. This common etiology reveals that development of and treatment for addiction is non-specific (i.e., a treatment designed for one expression of addiction also works for another)—further suggesting that addiction is a syndrome,1 with common causes and multiple expressions (e.g., behavioral and substance-related addiction).