Pathological gambling is defined as a “behavioral addiction”. That is, it is not a substance abuse addiction, but it is still considered an addiction. As such, it presents characteristic symptoms: loss of control in gambling, accompanied by significant impairment in several areas of life, subjective need to gamble, obsession, irritability and anxiety associated with gambling or gambling deprivation.
One of the important aspects to take into account in this type of cases is that the amount of money spent or the frequency of use are not the criteria to diagnose gambling dependence or addiction.
Are some people more prone to suffer from pathological gambling?
As in any other addiction, all people can fall into it at any given time. However, there are some factors that facilitate its appearance, such as having had early gambling experiences, patterns of pathological gambling in childhood, a “lucky break” in the initial phases of gambling, the scarcity of healthy leisure alternatives, or suffering from untreated emotional disorders.
As for the personal characteristics of problem gamblers, it is common for them to present what in psychology we call an “external locus of control”. This is the expectation that problems will be solved by external factors, such as luck or chance, rather than by adopting a proactive attitude in solving them.
When does gambling become pathological?
It is common for people suffering from pathological gambling to turn to psychologists in the so-called “loss phase”, that is, when they no longer gamble for pleasure, but to recover accumulated losses and resolve their debts.
Generally up to this point there is a denial of the problem on the part of the gambler and, until he suffers a significant deterioration of his work, social or emotional relationships, he does not feel the need to stop gambling. Sometimes it even takes a long time before they become aware that they cannot control it by themselves.
In many cases it is the family members who often manage to motivate the gambler to ask for professional help, so the recommendation would be to do so as soon as possible, to prevent the problem from worsening.
Psychological treatment of pathological gambling
After an exhaustive evaluation, a personalized treatment plan is defined, which always comprises four phases. The first is “control of risk stimuli” in which the aim is to curb gambling behavior. In this phase, a great deal of work is done on the gambler’s motivation to remain abstinent.
The second stage is the “acquisition of self-control techniques”, in which the patient is provided with the necessary tools to cope with anxiety and thoughts that favor gambling.
Thirdly, “exposure” is sought, where external controls, such as control of money or places frequented, will be withdrawn and the patient will be able to expose himself to risky stimuli, putting his new self-control skills into action.
Finally, there is the fourth phase, which occurs in parallel with the other three, and consists of “rehabilitation-reinsertion”. In this phase, work is done on changing habits and beliefs that will allow the prevention of relapses, in addition to addressing other problems associated with gambling that have been manifested previously, such as relationship problems or job dissatisfaction.