![]() A 2008 study showed that people with psychiatric disorders are 17 times more likely to develop gambling problems. People with gambling disorder often abuse alcohol, tobacco, or other drugs, have mood or personality disorders such as schizophrenia or antisocial personality disorder, or have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). ![]() It’s estimated that a gambling disorder’s development is 50 percent due to genetic factors and 50 percent due to environmental factors. Yale research is working to understand the connection between genetics and gambling disorders. People who have a parent with a gambling problem are more likely to have problems too. College students also gamble at higher rates than the general population. Two to 7% of youths develop a gambling disorder, compared with about 1% of adults, and many gambling disorders begin in adolescence. Men appear more drawn to such strategic forms of gambling as card games or sports betting, while women tend to prefer such non-strategic forms as bingo or slot machines. Men are more likely to have gambling problems than women, but the disparity seems to have narrowed in recent years. With appropriate intervention, individuals with gambling addictions can recover and live productive lives.Risk factors for gambling disorder may include: It may also remove some of the stigma associated with the behavior. While the effects of pathological gambling should not be minimized, viewing the behavior as evidence of an addiction rather than a character flaw can be helpful in encouraging an individual to seek treatment. In addition to substance abuse, such problems may include mood disorders, anxiety, or personality disorders. Individuals with pathological gambling problems are more likely to exhibit symptoms of other psychiatric problems. Many of these symptoms resemble classic addictive symptoms, such as withdrawal and loss of control. Reliance upon others to get out of financial straits.Loss of a job or relationship due to behavior.Frequent and often long-term “chasing” of losses with increased gambling.Restlessness or irritability when attempting to decrease or stop gambling.Lying to others to hide gambling or committing illegal acts to finance.Lack of success in controlling, cutting back, or stopping the behavior.Using gambling to cope with feeling distressed.Tendency to gamble increasingly large amounts of money.In order for an individual to be classified as having a gambling disorder, at least 4 of the following symptoms must be present: Finally, pathological gamblers are more likely to abuse alcohol and other drugs. Furthermore, gambling problems tend to run in families, indicating potential genetic factors. For example, compulsive gamblers report highs from gambling as well as cravings. Neurochemical testing and brain imaging have also made a case for the belief that gambling activates the brain’s reward system in a manner similar to drugs. In the DSM-V, compulsive gambling is considered to be one of the “substance-related and addictive disorders.” Why the change? There is growing clinical evidence that pathological gambling has much in common with traditional substance abuse disorders.įirst, the effects of the respective disorders on individuals’ work, financial, and personal lives can be similar. With further research, a new classification of the disorder has been made. Like kleptomania (uncontrollable stealing) or pyromania (impulsive fire setting), compulsive gambling was considered a mental disorder associated with poor impulse control. Before recent changes by mental health clinicians, it was classified as in impulse control disorder. ![]() “Problem” gambling, also referred to as pathological or compulsive gambling, affects an estimated 2 – 4% of the population. ![]() But the latest diagnostic publication of the American Psychiatric Association, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM)-V, confirms that excessive gambling can indeed be an addiction, just like substance abuse. It’s a question that even the experts have debated. Do you know someone who gambles excessively? If so, perhaps you’ve wondered if this individual just had a bad habit or if he or she was actually addicted to gambling. ![]()
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