Gambling involves risking money or something of value on an event that is influenced by chance, such as a football match or scratchcard. If you win, you receive the money or thing of value, but if you lose, you lose it. Gambling can cause serious problems, including financial ruin and psychological distress. People can develop a gambling problem at any age, but it is most common in teenagers and young adults. It is possible to get help for a gambling problem, but it is important to understand what causes it and how to recognise the warning signs.
Problem gambling affects your ability to control your behaviour and the amount of money you spend on gambling activities. This can make it difficult to stop gambling, even when you are losing lots of money. Problem gambling is often associated with a range of other problems, such as depression, relationship difficulties and unemployment. Some people find that they start to rely on gambling as an escape from stressful situations, but this can be very dangerous. It is important to seek help if you are concerned about the gambling habits of someone you know.
People who are struggling with gambling problems may experience symptoms such as being preoccupied by thoughts about gambling, feeling distressed when they do not gamble, thinking about how to obtain more money with which to gamble or being unable to stop gambling even after significant losses (chasing their losses). They may also lie to others and conceal the extent of their involvement in gambling. Some people may have a history of depression or other mental health problems, which can increase the risk of developing a gambling disorder.
Gambling is addictive because it triggers a dopamine response in the brain. This is similar to the way in which shooting baskets into a net gives you a reward when you score, but with gambling the rewards are much more frequent and intense. This can lead to people staying involved in gambling, even when they are losing a lot of money, as they want to keep getting the dopamine hit.
Many people enjoy gambling as a form of entertainment and can control their spending, but some struggle with harmful patterns of gambling that can lead to addiction or other serious problems. These problems can include wanting to replicate an early big win, escapism from boredom or stress, and a poor understanding of random events.
The definition of pathological gambling has changed over time, largely because there is increasing recognition that gambling can be a serious problem. The changes reflect a desire to be more scientific in determining the criteria for diagnosing pathological gambling and to bring it into line with other mental disorders, such as substance dependence. The current definition of pathological gambling, as described in the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (called the DSM), is as follows:
