Pathological gambling is an addiction that causes a person to be unable to resist the urge to gamble, leading to negative consequences such as loss of work and family commitments, legal issues, and mental health problems. The addiction often starts with recreational gambling and can lead to betting on all sorts of outcomes and playing many different gambling games. Treatment often involves a 12-step program like Gamblers Anonymous.
Pathological gambling, sometimes called compulsive gambling, is an inability to resist the urge to gamble. The pathological gambler often loses work and family commitments and does not sleep to play. Extended gambling often leaves the pathological gambler with career, relationship, and legal issues. Considered a behavioral addiction or impulse control disorder, pathological gambling has some similarities to obsessive-compulsive disorder.
The causes of pathological gambling are not known. Those diagnosed with pathological gambling are more likely to have other mental health problems, such as borderline personality disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Pathological gamblers are more likely to abuse drugs, suffer a heart attack, and attempt suicide.
A pathological gambler is obsessed with gambling and thinks about it almost constantly. Over time, the person will have to wager more and more money to get the desired ride from gambling. As with other addictions, the pathological gambler will often try to quit but fail. When he’s not playing, the person can become irritable and restless.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders lists 10 symptoms of a person who is a pathological gambler. Among these symptoms is the person spending more and more money while gambling and gambling to try to earn money that was lost by gambling. The pathological gambler will often lie about how much time and money is spent gambling and may steal or commit other crimes to make money to gamble.
Pathological gambling usually begins with recreational gambling and gradually develops to the point where the person with the addiction bets on all sorts of outcomes and plays many different gambling games. The pathological gambler can bet online, play the lottery and visit casinos. Pathological gamblers rarely limit themselves to one game. In men, addiction usually begins in the early teens, while many women who become pathological gamblers may not show signs of addiction until their 40s.
Men are about twice as likely as women to become compulsive gamblers. Pathological gamblers tend to have lower incomes. People who have a parent who was a pathological gambler and people who are alcoholics are more likely to be pathological gamblers.
Pathological gamblers are unlikely to admit they have a problem or seek help on their own. In most cases, the pathological gambler seeks help with the problem under pressure from family, friends, or employers. Treatment often involves a 12-step program like Gamblers Anonymous.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
