Gambling addiction is a chronic condition that can contribute to myriad health problems, including depression, substance abuse, ulcers, angina, and hypertension, it generally doesn't attract a lot of attention from the healthcare community.
"The biggest misconception about gambling addiction is that it's not an addiction at all, that it's not a disease but a financial or a moral problem and not a condition for the medical community. Those were the same attitudes people had about substance abuse 30 years ago.
What Is Gambling Disorder?
Gambling disorder -- also called "problem gambling," "pathological gambling," "compulsive gambling," and "gambling addiction" -- has been recognized as a health condition only since 1980.
Treatment
Neurologist can be instrumental in helping patients with gambling problems access treatment.
Hanging an educational poster about problem gambling in the waiting area or the examination room may prompt a conversation and can provide a patient with a hotline they can call for help.
"Gambling affects a relatively small percentage of the population.It may not make sense to screen everybody who walks through the door, but if a doctor is treating a high-risk population, asking just 1 or 2 questions about gambling can help." Vulnerable groups include adolescents and young adults, Asian Americans, and recent immigrants.
Gambling treatment helps people develop coping and refusal skills and address the underlying issues that lead them to gamble, and often includes cognitive-behavioral therapy and participation in a 12-step program. The selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and opioid receptor antagonists, which target reward pathways in the brain, may benefit some patients with gambling addiction.
"The biggest misconception about gambling addiction is that it's not an addiction at all, that it's not a disease but a financial or a moral problem and not a condition for the medical community. Those were the same attitudes people had about substance abuse 30 years ago.
What Is Gambling Disorder?
Gambling disorder -- also called "problem gambling," "pathological gambling," "compulsive gambling," and "gambling addiction" -- has been recognized as a health condition only since 1980.
Treatment
Neurologist can be instrumental in helping patients with gambling problems access treatment.
Hanging an educational poster about problem gambling in the waiting area or the examination room may prompt a conversation and can provide a patient with a hotline they can call for help.
"Gambling affects a relatively small percentage of the population.It may not make sense to screen everybody who walks through the door, but if a doctor is treating a high-risk population, asking just 1 or 2 questions about gambling can help." Vulnerable groups include adolescents and young adults, Asian Americans, and recent immigrants.
Gambling treatment helps people develop coping and refusal skills and address the underlying issues that lead them to gamble, and often includes cognitive-behavioral therapy and participation in a 12-step program. The selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and opioid receptor antagonists, which target reward pathways in the brain, may benefit some patients with gambling addiction.
No comments:
Post a Comment