Gambling Disorder

• June 25, 2020
• Tony Guo
• no comments

Gambling Disorder

• Persistent and recurrent problematic gambling behavior that intensifies when the individual is under stress.
• As the need to gamble increases, the individual may use any means required to obtain money to continue the addiction.
• Gambling behavior usually begins in adolescence, although compulsive behaviors rarely occur before young adulthood.
• The disorder usually runs a chronic course, with periods of waxing and waning.
• The disorder interferes with interpersonal relationships, social, academic, or
  occupational functioning.

Predisposing factors to Gambling Disorder

• Biological influences
  • Genetic: Increased incidence among family members
  • Physiological: Abnormalities in neurotransmitter systems
  • Dopaminergic neurotransmitter systems.
  • Biochemical theories suggest that both winning and losing may stimulate the reward and pleasure centers of the brain, which could contribute to a persistent and repeated desire to gamble even though one is not winning.
• Psychosocial influences
  • Loss of a parent before age 15
  • Inappropriate parental discipline
  • Exposure to gambling activities as an adolescent
  • Family emphasis on material and financial symbols
  • Lack of family emphasis on saving, planning, and budgeting

Treatment Modalities for Gambling Disorder

• Behavior therapy
• Cognitive therapy
• Motivational interviewing
• Psychopharmacology
  • S S R I’s
  • Clomipramine
  • Lithium
  • Carbamazepine
  • Naltrexone
• Gamblers Anonymous
  • Organization modeled after A A
  • Only requirement for membership is an expressed desire to stop gambling
  • Reformed gamblers help others resist the urge to gamble.