A health condition in which uncontrollable urge to maintain gambling despite the problems it causes in your life is called compulsive gambling (also known as gambling disorder). When people risk something that is valuable in the hope of getting something of even greater value, it is called gambling.
The brain’s reward system is stimulated much as drugs or alcohol can do it. People with compulsive gambling usually repeatedly chase bets that lead to losses, which lead to the use of savings and create debt. Such people hide their behavior in most cases and may turn to fraud or theft that help to support their addiction.
This is a serious mental health problem that destroys the lives of many people. Usually, it is difficult to treat this condition but it is not impossible. Discuss with a healthcare professional if you have this mental health condition.
Symptoms
These include:
- People with this disorder are continuously preoccupied with gambling (including planning gambling activities and how to get more gambling money)
- Increased amounts of money to get the same feelings
- Unsuccessful tries to control, cut back, or interrupt gambling
- Feeling irritable or restless when trying to stop gambling
- Gambling is a way how to escape problems or relieve certain feelings including guilt, helplessness, anxiety, or depression
- Chasing losses (trying to get back lost money)
- Continuously lying to family members or others to hide gambling
- Such people also lose important relationships, jobs, school, or work opportunities due to gambling
Gamblers usually stop when they lose the amount of money they are willing to lose. However, people with compulsive gambling continue playing to recover their money. This pattern becomes dangerous over time, which may lead to fraud or theft to get gambling money.
Sometimes, people with compulsive gambling have remission where they gamble less or not completely but without treatment the remission in most cases is not permanent.
Immediately see a doctor if your family members, co-workers, or friends express concerns about your gambling. You may think it is not serious and usually, it is difficult to realize that you have a problem.
Causes
Healthcare providers do not know the exact cause of compulsive disorder. However, like other health problems, there may be a combination of genetic, environmental, and biological factors.
Risk Factors
While most people who wager or play cards never develop compulsive gambling, some factors that may increase your risk of getting this disorder. Examples include:
- Mental health conditions – Those who have compulsive gambling usually also experience other mental disorders. These include substance misuse, personality disorders, depression, anxiety, and others. This mental health problem also is associated with bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
- Age – This condition mostly occurs in younger and middle-aged people.
- Sex – While compulsive gambling occurs more in males than females, they also can develop this condition later in life. Females usually become addicted faster.
- Friend of family influence – If you have a friend or a family member with compulsive gambling, your risk of getting this condition increases.
- Parkinson’s disease medicines and restless legs syndrome – Certain medications (Dopamine agonists) can cause compulsive gambling as an adverse reaction. However, this side effect occurs quite rarely.
- Personality characteristics – An increased risk of developing compulsive gambling have people who are workaholics, impulsive, restless, easily bored, or highly competitive.
Complications
People with this mental health problem may experience long-term complications. For example:
- Problems with relationships, law, or imprisonment
- Financial issues (such as bankruptcy)
- Poor performance at work or job loss
- Generally, poor health
- Suicidal thoughts or even attempts
How to Prevent Compulsive Gambling?
Unfortunately, there is no sure way to prevent this condition but some educational programs may increase the risk of avoiding this condition. People with risk factors for compulsive gambling, should avoid it in any form and get treatment as soon as possible. Treatment goal is to prevent the worsening of the condition.
Diagnosis
If you suspect you have compulsive gambling, you should visit a mental health professional. Therefore, physicians to diagnose the condition may need to do the following things. For example:
- Medical history evaluation – There are some medicines you may be using that have a rare adverse reaction that causes compulsive gambling. Doctors may also perform a physical examination that may help to identify problems associated with compulsive gambling.
- Mental health assessment – This includes questions about your thoughts, feelings, symptoms, and behavior associated with gambling.
- Questions about gambling habits – Your mental healthcare provider may ask permission to discuss with your friends and family members. In any case, confidentiality is ensured because there are laws that prevent the doctor from giving information without your consent.
Treatment
In most cases, treating this mental health problem is difficult because most people do not realize they have problems. Thus, most of the treatment involves working on acknowledging that you have compulsive gambling. Check below some treatment options usually recommended by doctors for people with compulsive gambling:
- Therapy – Cognitive behavioral therapy or behavioral therapy involves learning skills that help to control urges to gamble. These procedures also can help to replace unhealthy, irrational, and negative beliefs with healthy ones.
- Medicines – Physicians may prescribe certain medicines (including antidepressants, narcotic antagonists, and mood stabilizers) to treat mental disorders associated with compulsive gambling. These include substance misuse, depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and others.
- Self-help groups – Sometimes, talking with other people with the same disorder may be an effective treatment part.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best treatment option for people with compulsive gambling?
The most effective treatment for people with this mental disorder is cognitive behavioral therapy. It helps to change thoughts and behavior, which lessen the symptoms and improve control over urges to gamble. For more details, discuss it with your healthcare professional.
What medications can interrupt gambling?
These include Naltrexone, Lithium, and other antidepressants or antipsychotic drugs. However, you should not administer any medicine without a doctor’s recommendation because it may lead to unpleasant outcomes.
What mental health condition is mostly associated with compulsive gambling?
In most people with compulsive gambling, borderline personality disorder (BPD) is also found. Ask your healthcare provider if you have additional questions.
