Making progress by defining what they are not

Alongside possible addictive behaviors among older adults, which are sometimes difficult to define and delimit, it is necessary to distinguish between addictive behaviors, pseudoaddictions, non-addictive behaviors, and non-addictions (differential diagnoses). Given that the addictions of older adults are often paucisymptomatic or of atypical clinical presentation, approaching them according to what they are not is an alternative way to maintain rigor and precision in the clinical approach and diagnostic method. Only then does it become possible to make progress with regard to identification, clinical evaluation, and above all access to care.