Pathological Gambling

Pathological gambling, also known as compulsive gambling or disordered gambling, is a recognized mental disorder characterized by a pattern of continued gambling despite negative physical, psychological, and social consequences.

 

Cluster Number:
Wiki Number: PW156
Diagnosis: Pathological Gambling
US Patients: 0.6 of 1%
World Patients:
Sex Ratio: M+;W
Age Onset:
Brain Area: some victims have lower norepinephrine than normal gamblers, which is normally secreted under stress or thrill; or lack serotonin.
Symptoms: Continuous gambling despite negative consequences to self or family and in spite of desire to stop. Also considered an addiction.
Progression:
Causes: impulsivity and comorbidity with alcohol problems; dopamine dysregulation has been observed.
Medications: paroxetine, lithium, palmefene
Therapies: Gamblers’ Anonymous, CBT, 1/3 recover by themselves

Youtube Video: A Look at Problem Gambling

Amazon or Library Book: Can’t Just Stop:

An Investigation of Compulsion (Gambling)

Support Group: gamblersanonymous.org; 626-960-3500

(Gamblers’ Anonymous International)

4 CURRENT ARTICLES
FROM PUBMED

The world-wide medical research
reports chosen for each diagnosis 

Clicking each title opens the
PubMed article’s summary-abstract.

  • Imaging of brain electric field networks
    by Lawrence Frank on April 25, 2024

    We present a method for direct imaging of the electric field networks in the human brain from electroencephalography (EEG) data with much higher temporal and spatial resolution than functional MRI (fMRI), without the concomitant distortions. The method is validated using simultaneous EEG/fMRI data in healthy subjects, intracranial EEG data in epilepsy patients, and in a direct comparison with standard EEG analysis in a well-established attention paradigm. The method is then demonstrated on a...

  • Between-session chasing of losses and wins in an online eCasino
    by Ke Zhang on April 24, 2024

    BACKGROUND AND AIMS: This study characterized chasing behaviour as the time to return to an online gambling website after a losing or a winning visit.

  • The asymmetric impact of decision-making confidence on regret and relief
    by Zan Liu on April 23, 2024

    When individuals make uncertain decisions, they often evaluate the correctness of their choices in what is referred to as decision-making confidence. The outcomes of such decision-making can lead to counterfactual thinking wherein alternative possible outcomes are contemplated. This, in turn, can elicit counterfactual emotions including upward and downward counterfactual thinking, which, respectively, refer to regret and relief. Decision-making confidence and counterfactual emotions have key...

  • A Longitudinal Investigation of Lower-Risk Gambling Limits in the Canadian National Study
    by Nolan B Gooding on April 23, 2024

    Recent years have seen increased attention given to identifying and describing the levels of gambling participation that confer a risk of harm in order to generate public health advice regarding lower-risk gambling. However, most of the existing literature has failed to explicitly assess these limits in a prospective manner. The purpose of this study is to employ a methodology consistent with prior investigations to evaluate the level of gambling participation associated with an increased risk...