Pathological Gambling

What is pathological gambling?

Pathological gambling is an impulse disorder. It is an addiction to the excitement and risk created by gambling. People who are pathological gamblers cannot stop even though it causes personal, work, or legal problems.

Many people enjoy gambling once in a while. However, pathological gambling can ruin your life as well as the lives of your family.

How does it occur?

Most problem gamblers begin gambling, on average, at age 10. More men than women suffer from this disorder, and men are more likely to seek treatment for it. The cause for pathological gambling is not known. People may start gambling in order to:

• feel successful
• rebel or release anger
• be accepted by other people
• escape from painful feelings
• feel like a winner
• solve money problems

What are the symptoms?

Pathological gamblers have at least 5 of these signs. They:

• cannot stop thinking about gambling
• need to gamble with more and more money in order to feel excitement
• try and fail to control, cut back, or stop gambling
• feel restless or in a bad mood when they try to cut down or stop gambling
• gamble as a way to escape from problems or to feel less helpless, guilty, anxious, or depressed
• try to make up money lost in gambling by gambling to break even ("chasing" losses)
• lie to people about how much time they spend gambling
• commit crimes such as forgery, fraud, theft, or embezzlement to finance gambling
• have school, job, or relationship problems because of gambling
• try to get other people to cover financial problems caused by gambling

How is it diagnosed?

Your healthcare provider or therapist will ask about your symptoms and will make sure you do not have a medical problem. Your therapist will also check for other problems, such as substance abuse, mood disorders, and personality disorders.

You may also be asked to complete a questionnaire called the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS). This helps to measure how serious your gambling problem may be.

How is it treated?

Several medicines can help treat pathological gambling. Your healthcare provider will work with you to carefully select the best one for you.

Cognitive behavior therapy may also help you overcome pathological gambling. A good treatment program should include counseling for you and your family members.

Treatment can help. Many different programs exist, ranging from Gamblers Anonymous to inpatient treatment centers. There is no one program that is right for everyone.

What can I do to help myself stop gambling?

• If you have the urge to gamble, stop and call someone.
• Think about the consequences of your gambling.
• Find something else to do right away to help yourself stop thinking about gambling.
• Let someone else handle your money, for example, arrange for the bank to make automatic payments for you.
• Keep a limited amount of cash on you at any given time.
• Participate in sports or other hobbies at least once or twice a week.
• Spend time with your family.

When should I seek help?

If your gambling is causing personal, social, family, work, or legal problems, it is time to get help. For a list of organizations that can help, see Resource List: Gambling.