Pathological Gambling Disorder Definition

Posted on 4/9/2022 admin

What is gambling addiction, and how is it defined?

Pathological Behavior Symptoms
Pathological Gambling Disorder Definition Dictionary
Pathological Gambling Disorder Definition Biology
What Is Pathological Behavior

Over the past few decades, health professionals have discussed and debated the definition of various terms associated with problem gambling. Diagnostic phrases have varied from “pathological gambling” and “compulsive gambling” to “gambling addiction” and the latest diagnosis, “disordered gambling,” and the criteria for being diagnosed as having an addiction or being at-risk have changed along the way, as well.

Pathological gambling disorder is an example of a process, or behavioral, addiction, as distinct from an addiction to such substances as food, drugs, tobacco, or alcohol. In process addictions, the characteristic “rush” or “high” comes from the series of steps or actions that are involved in the addictive behavior.
Gambling disorder is a behavioral addiction diagnosis introduced in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth edition (DSM-5). 1 This was the first formal recognition of behavioral addiction in the psychiatry text, which is considered the 'gold standard' in the field of mental health.
The researchers also looked the relationships between pathological gambling and rates of other psychiatric and behavioral disorders among study participants and showed that relatives of pathological gamblers had higher rates of major depression, bipolar disorder, social anxiety disorder, substance use disorders, Post-traumatic stress disorder.
National Institutes of Health, PubMed Central: “The Biopsychosocial Consequences of Pathological Gambling,” “Impulsivity In Bipolar Disorder: Relationships With Neurocognitive Dysfunction.

Pathological Behavior Symptoms

In 2013, the fifth edition of the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) was published. Mental health providers look to the DSM for diagnostic criteria they use when working with insurance providers for treatment reimbursement.

Gambling Disorder in the DSM-5

The condition previously named pathological gambling was renamed gambling disorder and classified in the category “Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders.” Prior to the publication of the DSM-5, the condition was categorized as an impulse control disorder.

Disordered gambling is a general term including both problem gambling and PG while compulsive gambling is the original lay term for PG. Based on gambling preferences, contemporary gamblers have been classified into active and passive gamblers.

Another significant change to the definition and diagnosis of gambling disorder was the removal of one of the criteria for diagnosing gambling disorder. The criterion, “has committed illegal acts such as forgery, fraud theft or embezzlement to finance gambling” is no longer one of the criteria used for diagnosing gambling disorder. While it is true some individuals may have done illegal acts to gain access to money, it does little to help diagnose whether or not someone has the disorder.

Finally, the number of symptoms that must be identified to diagnose a gambling disorder has been lowered from five to four. This was done with the intention of decreasing the instances that a problem gambler’s disorder goes undiagnosed and therefore without help.

How The Changes in the DSM Help Problem Gamblers

At KnowTheOdds, we want to make sure people get the help they need. We must be able to properly diagnose individuals and guide them appropriately to opportunities for recovery.

The official definition of gambling disorder allows problem gamblers to understand that their addiction is something that affects millions of people – they are not alone in dealing with its consequences, and it is not their fault. The DSM-5 recognizes gambling disorder as a critical problem similar to drug and alcohol addictions, with the same affects on the individual.

If you or someone you know has a gambling disorder, help is available, and recovery is possible. Read stories of individuals who have recovered in “The Faces of Problem Gambling” and find hope.

Pathological gambling disorder is seen as gambling which is uncontrollable and can alter and adversely affect the individual’s recreational and social activities. This disorder has an extremely disruptive and adverse affect on the life of the individual that suffers from it. As a result of this pathological gambling, individuals may end up losing all of their life savings, and may also be forced to commit various crimes including forging checks, stealing or embezzling in order to acquire more money to fulfill their compulsive habit. This disorder can also lead to the development of major problems in relationships as well as jobs.

Pathological gambling can also be described as an Impulse Control Disorder1 or process addiction which is different from addictions to elements such as alcohol, food, tobacco and drugs. These types of addictions include a ‘high’ or a ‘rush’ which is gained when certain actions are performed as part of the addictive behavior. In case of gambling, the individuals may gain the ‘high’ from the overall setting and atmosphere of the place, for example a bingo hall, casino, race track and other places. The feeling that the individual gets from taking risks in this environment can evoke the addiction further. In many cases it is seen that compulsive gamblers own a piece of clothing or accessory which they claim is lucky for their gambling, and hence wear it every time they participate in a gambling activity. Some of these individuals use the piece of clothing or accessory to acquire the ‘high’ or ‘rush’ before gambling.

Causes:

The definite causes of pathological gambling disorder are unknown, although there are a number of studies and surveys that indicate that there is a significant difference on biological levels, between the general population and the compulsive gamblers. These surveys however cannot form the basis of the causes of pathological gambling. Many people tend to use their habit of gambling in order to gain an escape from signs of depressions which is more commonly seen in women than in men. Some of the gamblers seek to gamble in order to alter their moods because of the intense amount of energy and excitement that is commonly seen in gambling rooms. Thus, it is common to find that some people may be interested in other aspects of gambling than simply the money that is involved. It can be said that they ‘rush’ or ‘high’ that is seen in individuals suffering from pathological gambling disorders may not be associated with the money.

Symptoms:

Some of the most common symptoms that are seen in individuals suffering from pathological gambling disorder include immense amount of preoccupation with activities associated with gambling which tend to interfere with the individual’s social, occupational and personal life. The individual fells that he/she cannot control these gambling instincts and thus continues to visit casinos to place bets, failing to stop or cut down on the habit. One of the most commonly seen behaviors among compulsive gamblers is known as chasing. Chasing refers to placing bets of large amounts of money and thus taking more risks. This is done in order to make up for money that has been lost in gambling previously by the individual. The individual is also prone to immoral activities such as lying, forgery, stealing, fraud involved with credit cards, embezzling, and various other behaviors that are associated with acquiring money for gambling.

Demographics:

Gambling disorder affects more males than females in the United States with a sex ratio of 2:1. Over all as many as 4% of the population of the United States might meet the criteria for the disorder. In some countries this percentage is as high as 7%.