 Info
about gambling and online casinos in general
Topics:
Compulsive
gambling
Compulsive gambling is an urge or addiction
to gamble despite harmful negative consequences or a desire to
stop. A preferred term among many professionals is problem gambling,
as few people described by the term experience true compulsions
in the clinical sense of the word. Problem gambling often is defined
by whether harm is experienced by the gambler or others, rather
than by the gambler's behavior. Severe problem gambling may be
diagnosed as clinical pathological gambling if the gambler meets
certain criteria.
Pathological
gambling
Extreme cases of problem gambling may cross over into the realm
of mental disorders. Pathological gambling was recognized as a
psychiatric disorder in the DSM-III, but the criteria were significantly
reworked based on large-scale studies and statistical methods
for the DSM-IV. As defined by American Psychiatric Association,
pathological gambling is an impulse control disorder that is a
chronic and progressive mental illness.
Pathological gambling is now defined as
persistent and recurrent maladaptive gambling behavior meeting
at least five of the following criteria, as long as these behaviors
are not better explained by a manic episode:
- Preoccupation. The subject has frequent
thoughts about gambling experiences, whether past, future, or
fantasy.
- Tolerance. As with drug tolerance, the
subject requires larger or more frequent wagers to experience
the same "rush".
- Withdrawal. Restlessness or irritability
associated with attempts to cease or reduce gambling.
- Escape. The subject gambles to improve
mood or escape problems.
- Chasing. The subject tries to win back
gambling losses with more gambling.
- Lying. The subject tries to hide the
extent of his or her gambling by lying to family, friends, or
therapists.
- Loss of control. The subject has unsuccessfully
attempted to reduce gambling.
- Illegal acts. The subject has broken
the law in order to obtain gambling money or recover gambling
losses.
- Risked significant relationship. The
subject gambles despite risking or losing a relationship, job,
or other significant opportunity.
- Bailout. The subject turns to family,
friends, or another third party for financial assistance as
a result of gambling.
- Biological Bases. The subject has a
lack of norepinephrine.
- As with many disorders, the DSM-IV definition
of pathological gambling is widely accepted and used as a basis
for research and clinical practice internationally.
The most common instrument used to screen
for "probable pathological gambling" behavior is the
South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS) developed by Lesieur and Blume
(1987) at the South Oaks Hospital in New York. This screen is
undoubtedly the most cited instrument in psychological research
literature.
Effects
of Different Types of Gambling
Some forms of gambling are allegedly less harmful. According to
William R. Eadington, University of Nevada, in an article entitled
"What happens to the best laid plans: global lessons on legalization
and liberation of gaming laws", ranked from least dangerous
to most dangerous are:-
- Lotteries (traditional), bingo - soft
gambling
- Destination resort casinos
- Urban or suburban casinos
- Convenient Gambling: gaming devices
in bars, slot machines
- Ultra-Convenient Gambling: interactive
television, mobile phone or internet gambling
Biological
Bases
According to the Illinois Institute for Addiction Recovery Recent
evidence indicates that pathological gambling is an addiction
similar to chemical addiction. It has been seen that some pathological
gamblers have lower levels of norepinephrine than normal gamblers.
According to a study conducted by Alec
Roy, M.D. formerly at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse
and Alcoholism, norepinephrine is secreted under stress, arousal,
or thrill, so pathological gamblers gamble to make up for their
underdosage.
Further to this, according to a report
from the Harvard Medical School Division on Addictions there was
an experiment constructed where test subjects were presented with
siuations where they could win lose or break even in a casino-like
environment. Peoples reactions were measured using a fMRI, a neuro-imaging
device very similar to a MRI. And according to Hand Breiter, MD,
co-director of the motivation and Emotion Neuroscience Centre
at the Massachusetts General Hospital, "Monetary reward in
a gambling-like experiment produces brain activation very similar
to that observed in a cocaine addict receiving an infusion of
cocaine."
Relation
to other Problems
As debts build up people turn to other sources of money such as
theft, or the sale of drugs. A lot of this pressure comes from
bookies or loan sharks that people rely on for capital to gamble
with. Also, a teenager that does not receive treatment for pathological
gambling when in their desperation phase is likely to contemplate
suicide. 20% of teenagers that are pathological gamblers do consider
suicide. This according to the article High Stakes: Teens Gambling
With Their Futures by Laura Paul.
Abuse is also common in homes where pathological
gambling is present. Growing up in such a situation leads to improper
emotional development and increased risk of falling prey to problem
gambling behavior.
Pathological gambling is similar to many
other impulse control disorders such as kleptomania, pyromania,
Trichotillomania. Other mental disease that also exhibit impulse
control disorder include such mental disorders as antisocial personality
disorder, or schizophrenia.
Teens Gambling
- 67% of teens gamble.
- 44% are non-problem gamblers.
- 15% are at-risk gamblers.
- 8% are pathological gamblers.
- 20% Teens reaches their desperation
phase contemplate suicide.
- 1.6% of teens contemplate suicide as
a result of pathological gambling.
- Gambling is 2 to 3 times more addictive
for teens than adults.
- Anecdotal accounts and media reports
have made frequent reference to the disproportionate level of
participation in gambling by people of Asian appearance or from
Asian countries.
Incidence
According to the National Council on Problem Gambling, incidence
of problem gambling is 2-3% and pathological gambling is 1% in
the United States, though this may vary by country. By contrast,
86% of Americans have gambled in their lives and 60% gamble in
a given year.
Available research seems to indicate that
problem gambling is an internal tendency, and that problem gamblers
will tend to risk money on whatever game is available, rather
than a particular game being available inducing problem gambling
in otherwise "normal" individuals. However, research
also indicates that problem gamblers tend to risk money on fast-paced
games. Thus a problem gambler is much more likely to lose a lot
of money on poker or slot machines, where rounds end quickly and
there is a constant temptation to play again or increase bets,
as opposed to a state lottery where the gambler must wait until
the next drawing to see results.
Dopamine agonists, in particular pramipexole
(Mirapex), have been shown to cause compulsive gambling (PMID
16009751).
Treatment
There is evidence that the SSRI paroxetine is efficient in the
treatment of pathological gambling .
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