Gambling is an activity where people stake something of value on a random event with the intention of winning money or other valuable goods. Instances of strategy are often discounted in gambling. Gambling is a popular pastime and a form of entertainment. However, many people can develop a gambling addiction that negatively affects their lives. For these individuals, treatment is available.
Whether it’s an exciting sports match or the chance of a big jackpot, most people gamble at some point in their life. For most, it is a fun way to socialise or escape from stress and worries. However, for some people, gambling can become harmful and even dangerous. It’s important to recognize when you have a problem and seek help. You can find help and support by speaking to a trained counsellor, joining a gambling recovery group or trying self-help tips.
It is also worth remembering that the risk of losing money can have serious mental health effects, including depression and suicidal thoughts. If you are feeling this way, please speak to your GP or contact 999 or A&E immediately. It is also important to consider any other underlying mental health problems you may be experiencing as these can trigger or be made worse by harmful gambling.
Humans are biologically programmed to seek rewards. When we do things like spending time with loved ones or eating a delicious meal, our brains release a natural chemical called dopamine that gives us pleasure. Over time, excessive gambling can send massive surges of dopamine through our brains and make us lose sight of the pleasure we can get from more healthy activities. This can change our brain chemistry and make us seek out more gambling to experience the same pleasure, leading to compulsive gambling.
The Psychiatric Association recently classified pathological gambling as an impulse control disorder, joining other disorders such as kleptomania, pyromania and trichotillomania (hair pulling). This decision reflects a growing understanding of how pathological gambling is similar to other impulse control disorders and could revolutionize the treatment of this condition.
Although longitudinal studies would be ideal to provide more information on the etiology of gambling disorder, there are many barriers to mounting such studies. These include difficulty in maintaining research team continuity over long periods of time; the potential for sample attrition, which can influence results; and the fact that a person’s behavior or responses to questionnaires will be affected by changes in their environment or mood.
As a result, treatment methods based on eclectic theoretic conceptualizations of gambling disorder have provided only varying degrees of success. In the future, researchers will need to work together to create more effective treatments.