Compulsive Gambling
March 06, 2006
To play a game of chance
for stakes or to take a risk in the hope of gaining an
advantage or a benefit.
Compulsive
gambling is an urge or addiction to gamble despite
harmful negative consequences or a desire to stop. The
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.
In 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.
The 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:
-
1. Preoccupation. The
subject has frequent thoughts about gambling
experiences, whether past, future, or fantasy.
-
2. Tolerance. As with
drug tolerance, the subject requires larger or more
frequent wagers to experience the same "rush."
-
3. Withdrawal.
Restlessness or irritability associated with
attempts to cease or reduce gambling.
-
4. Escape. Subject
gambles to improve mood or escape problems.
-
5. Chasing. Subject
attempts to win back gambling losses with more
gambling.
-
6. Lying. Subject
attempts to hide the extent of his or her gambling
by lying to family, friends, or therapists.
-
7. Loss of control.
Subject has unsuccessfully attempted to reduce
gambling.
-
-
8. Illegal acts.
Subject has broken the law in order to obtain
gambling money or recover gambling losses.
It is 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—as opposed to the
availability of a particular game 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.
Copyright © 2000-2007
GamblingWiz.com All rights
reserved. |
