What Is a Gambling Disorder?

Gambling disorder is a mental health condition characterized by a person’s inability to control gambling habits. Individuals with this disorder experience difficulty with impulse control, have persistent thoughts of gambling, and engage in compulsive gambling behaviors.

Gambling as an addiction disorder may be difficult to identify due to the absence of apparent signs or symptoms. It is common for individuals with gambling problems to have trouble realizing they have a gambling issue or live in denial. However, when gambling activity becomes persistent, negatively affecting finances and relationships with others, it is beneficial to seek help.

Importance of Understanding Gambling Addiction

Understanding gambling addiction is important. For gambling disorder causes, it is thought that there may be a genetic component to the development of gambling addiction, as well as environmental factors such as poverty and family dysfunction.

How Common Is Gambling Addiction?

Gambling addiction disorder is quite common, with roughly two million adults in the United States who have a gambling addiction. In addition, as many as three million people are at risk of developing a gambling addiction, meeting several diagnostic criteria.¹

As with all mental health illnesses, the psychology of gambling affects the brain by altering reward mechanisms in harmful ways. Individuals with gambling addiction problems are at a higher risk of developing substance abuse disorders, anxiety, and depression. A recent survey found that 96.3% of those with a lifetime gambling dependence also met the criteria for at least one other psychiatric disorder.²

What Are the Symptoms of Gambling Addiction?

Gambling addiction is a mental health disorder, meaning it is characterized by a combination of psychological and physical gambling disorder symptoms. Some experts believe that people develop gambling problems due to gradual chemical alterations in the brain’s reward system.

Gambling disorder symptoms include:

Obsessing over any type of gambling
Gambling to feel better about life
Failing to control gambling
Avoiding work or other commitments to gamble
Neglecting bills and expenses and using the money for gambling
Selling possessions to gamble
Stealing money to gamble
Lying about gambling practices
Feeling guilty after a gambling session
Taking bigger and more significant risks while gambling

What Are the Risk Factors for Gambling Addiction?

The risk factors for gambling addiction are similar to those of other addictions. These include:

What Complications Are Associated With Gambling Addiction?

Most gambling disorder causes are undocumented, but the complications associated with gambling addiction can be highly adverse. They include:

Relationship problems
Financial problems, including bankruptcy
Legal problems or imprisonment
Poor work performance or job loss
Poor general health
Suicide, suicide attempts, or suicidal thoughts

In addition, substance abuse is a common co-occurring disorder associated with gambling disorder. One study found that among those with gambling disorders, 28% had alcohol use disorder and 17% had an illicit drug use disorder. In addition, another study discovered that 41% of individuals receiving treatment for gambling addiction met the criteria for alcohol use disorder and 21% met the criteria for other substance use disorders.³

How Is Gambling Addiction Diagnosed?

Mental health professionals utilize the American Psychiatric Association’s (APA) fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) to diagnose many mental health conditions, including gambling addiction. For a proper diagnosis, an individual must meet at least four of the following criteria within the past twelve months:⁴

Need to gamble with increasing amounts to achieve the desired excitement.
Restless or irritable when trying to cut down or stop gambling.
Repeated unsuccessful efforts to control, cut back on or stop gambling.
Frequent thoughts about gambling (such as reliving past gambling or planning future gambling).
Often gambling when feeling distressed.
After losing money gambling, often returning to get even. (This is referred to as "chasing" one's losses.)
Lying to hide gambling activity.
Risking or losing a close relationship, a job, or a school or job opportunity because of gambling.
Relying on others to help with money problems caused by gambling

Is Gambling Addiction an Official Diagnosis?

For a disorder to be officially recognized, it must first be included in the DSM-5. The diagnostic criteria provided in this manual are considered the “gold standard” in mental health because it provides a standardized set of criteria that healthcare professionals use to define abnormal behaviors, including gambling disorders.

According to the DSM-5, gambling addiction disorder is an official diagnosis with diagnostic criteria. After a successful diagnosis, the next step is to get help through treatment.

How Is Gambling Addiction Treated?

Treating gambling addiction is similar to caring for other forms of addiction, such as alcoholism. Gambling addiction treatment varies from patient to patient, depending on the severity of the addiction. Gambling therapy is not intended to punish the patient; it’s meant to help them overcome their addiction and move forward with their lives.

The following are common treatment options available for people with gambling problems:

Inpatient Rehabilitation Program

An inpatient rehabilitation program is a great option for gambling disorder treatment. It requires patients to live at the facility while receiving treatment, allowing them to avoid triggers that influence gambling behaviors. Inpatient treatment provides a recovery-intensive environment with twenty-four-seven care and support from healthcare professionals.

Outpatient Rehabilitation Program

Another common gambling disorder treatment method is outpatient rehabilitation, which provides treatment and care but does not require patients to stay at the facility. This option allows people to continue performing daily activities, such as work and school.

The length of the program depends on the individual’s needs. Still, many people go to rehabilitation centers for thirty days or less. The goal is for the patient to learn how to identify, avoid (when possible), and cope with triggers and risky situations.

Twelve-Step Programs

Treatment programs like Gamblers Anonymous are important for the recovery from gambling disorder. 12-Step programs help people with gambling addiction identify and manage their symptoms by providing a network of support, education about the condition, and encouragement to continue treatment.

Psychotherapy or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Psychotherapy, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), is another effective treatment for gambling addiction. Cognitive behavioral therapy helps patients identify unhealthy behaviors and learn to recognize when they are about to engage in those behaviors. It also helps in compulsive behavior remodeling and change.

Medication

Treating gambling addiction is often a combination of pharmacological and psychological therapies. Gambling disorder medication used to treat addiction is known as psychopharmaceuticals. The two main medications used to treat gambling addiction are antidepressants and mood stabilizers. These medications are sometimes used as a last resort to avoid gambling addiction medication side effects.

Lifestyle Changes

Lifestyle modification is an integral treatment procedure for gambling addiction. This would involve changing aspects of day-to-day life that may predispose the patient to compulsive gambling. For example, avoiding casinos or online betting, abstaining from gambling with friends, and altering financial habits are helpful lifestyle modifications. In addition, personalized self-help for compulsive gambling improves gambling treatment success rates and prevents relapses.

Can Gambling Addiction Be Prevented?

Gambling addiction prevention is done by restricting access to gambling, especially among younger people and those exposed to a greater number of risk factors. Additionally, people should be educated about the risks of gambling. Hence, they make a conscious effort to avoid gambling and prevent the formation of compulsive behaviors.

What Is the Prognosis (Outlook) for People With a Gambling Addiction?

For many individuals with gambling disorders, treatment can be very effective. However, patients may go through mild withdrawal and cravings during early recovery and try to replicate gambling behavior through other outlets or activities. Nevertheless, symptoms should improve over time as they continue to abstain from gambling. In severe cases, clinicians may need to prescribe gambling disorder medication to ease recovery.

Get Help for Gambling Addiction at Pacific Beach Health

Pacific Beach Health was established to help families find peace, balance, and connection. We are a licensed and certified facility that provides individualized care for those living with various addictions ranging from alcohol addiction to gambling disorder. We value competency and use empathetic treatment methods to ensure patient comfort while treating gambling disorder symptoms.

Our team of professionals understands how difficult it can be to overcome an addiction. However, we believe that proper care and guidance can help individuals with gambling addiction problems fully recover. Compulsive gambling disorder is beatable. Please contact Pacific Beach Health today to learn more about gambling addiction and how we can help.

References:

1. https://www.ncpgambling.org/help-treatment/faq/
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4019046/

Is Gambling Addiction

an Official Diagnosis?

Learn about gambling addiction, how it is diagnosed, and where to receive treatment in this comprehensive article