COVID-19 induced gaming disorder and food addiction perpetuating adolescent obesity: a report on three cases.

This case report focuses on three male adolescents with obesity who developed concurrent food addiction and gaming disorder during COVID-19-related school closures in Türkiye. Each patient was diagnosed with food addiction using the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS), gaming disorder according to International Classification of Diseases-11 (ICD-11) criteria, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) via the Kiddie-Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (K-SADS) interview. The report highlights a vicious cycle where excessive gaming and eating behaviors, potentially triggered by COVID-19-induced lifestyle changes and reward deficiency states, contributed to worsening obesity and complicated its management. It emphasizes the importance of multidisciplinary evaluation, including psychiatric assessment and ADHD treatment, in addressing obesity and related behavioral addictions in adolescents during pandemic conditions.