Substance addiction, such as that of drugs, alcohol, and nicotine, is a conventional addiction, but process addiction, which depends on specific behaviors and processes, is a recent distinctive type. Process addiction depends on the process of behaviors such as gambling, smartphones, internet, and online gaming. In June 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) revised the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD - 11); the addiction to online games was newly recognized as a formal disease as “Gambling disorder.” In Japan, “Act on Promotion of Development of Specified Complex Tourist Facilities Areas” was established in December 2016, casinos were approved, and social interest in gambling addiction has been on a rise. Matsushita’s paper discussed the current state of gambling addiction, the diagnosis and treatment, and its relationship with stress. Internet addiction is a condition that causes difficulties in everyday life due to overuse of the Internet, such as through online gaming and SNS by smartphones or personal computers. In the study by Hashimoto, based on the large-scale survey results, the current status and problems of Internet addiction were discussed. Two distinctive types of Internet dependence, factors related to Internet addiction, and gender differences were indicated. Currently, it is common to see people wearing masks in the normal living area. However, there are cases wherein the mask is not simply worn as a precaution for preventing diseases and infections. Watanabe’s paper discussed this wearing of masks from the viewpoint of process addiction and discussed the relationship with social anxiety disorder, by examining mask-dependent cases and their recovery process. Process addiction is expected to increase in the future due to the development of new social mechanisms and further technologies. However, there are few institutions for diagnosing and treating these addictions, necessitating the development of a more systematic response according to the increasing needs.
