Compulsive Gambling Mental Health

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For most people, gambling is a social event undertaken for recreation with family of friends and lasts a limited time. In general terms, an acceptable amount of money that can be lost is decided in advance of the gambling with the ‘habit’ not having control over the person's behaviours.

Compulsive gambling, or pathological gambling as it is sometimes referred, falls into the category of impulse control disorders that is characterised by an inability to resist impulses to gamble. As a result the sufferer experiences severe personal or social consequences. In the United States of America it is thought that this affliction affects between 1 and 3% of adults; men more commonly than women beginning in adolescence in men and later in women.

It is common for the behaviour to progress from occasional to habitual gambling with the urge to gamble becoming so great that the tension can only be relieved by more gambling. As gambling increases, higher stakes and personal risks become involved together with neglect of other things in their lives such as family, friends and work. Severe family problems are common including financial ruin and sometimes criminal behaviour in order to to support the habit.

A compulsive gambler becomes addicted to gambling; often also:

• Being generous to the point of being extravagant
• Abusing alcohol or drugs
• Having trouble sleeping
• Being prone to stress-related conditions, such as high blood pressure, peptic ulcers, headaches and mood disorders such as depression
• Feels important and /or over-confident while gambling
• Are driven to constantly gambling
• Want to have wealth and material goods without working hard to get them
• Thinks that money is both the cause of and solution to their problems
• Are highly competitive, energetic, restless and easily bored
• Continue to gamble until they have lost all the money they have but remain confident they can beat the system and have a big win
• Make promises to give up their habit, but return to gambling using savings or borrowing money to do so
• Consider suicide or have suicidal thoughts

Problems often occur as a result of compulsive gambling that include:

Ruined marriages
• Failed relationships and strained social relationships
• Loss of employment
• Failing classes
• Legal problems
• Financial problems, such as the loss of life savings and/or a home, inability to pay creditors, possible bankruptcy
• Problems with health due to insomnia, improper diet, depression, and anxiety