Answer the quiz questions below to see if you or a loved one may be addicted to gambling.
Who Is This Gambling Addiction Quiz For?
Below is a list of questions that relate to life experiences common among people with a gambling addiction. Please read each question carefully, and indicate how often you have experienced the same or similar challenges in the past 12 months.
How Accurate Is It?
This quiz is NOT a diagnostic tool. Mental health disorders can only be diagnosed by a licensed mental health provider or doctor.
Assessments can be a valuable first step toward getting treatment. All too often people stop short of seeking help out of fear their concerns aren't legitimate or severe enough to warrant professional intervention.
Gambling Addiction Quiz
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Gambling Addiction FAQs
Many people gamble but are not addicted to gambling, says Elie G. Aoun, MD, assistant professor of clinical psychiatry at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City. But others continue to gamble even though they know it is problematic, he says.
“Some people see that they have a problem, yet they can’t stop gambling,” he says. “Their thoughts become such that they are unable to see a problem.”
Addiction develops when the addictive process becomes more valuable to a person than other things they used to enjoy, like spending time with friends and family, Dr. Aoun says: “If gambling starts to take over and you can’t enjoy your family, it is turning into an addiction. If you are gambling without realizing that it is causing problems with your spouse or worsening the quality of your sleep, it is becoming an addiction.”
Yes, says Dr. Elie G. Aoun. “So far, it is the only behavioral addiction that is validated as a medical disease,” he says, the only non-substance-related disorder in the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). “People say they are addicted to sex or porn or video games, but these are not officially recognized as medical diseases.”
The diagnosis for pathological gambling includes some criteria that are similar to drug and alcohol dependence, he says. These criteria include increasing tolerance (in other words, needing to gamble more money to reach the desired level of excitement), symptoms of withdrawal if gambling is reduced or stopped, and an inability to reduce or stop gambling. Some criteria, like chasing losses, are unique to gambling disorders, Dr. Aoun says.1 Among the other criteria that must be met for a diagnosis of gambling disorder are often gambling when distressed, relying on others to help with money problems caused by gambling, and lying to hide gambling activity. Of the nine criteria outlined in the DSM-5, four must be met and must have occurred within the past year.1
Talk to a professional for advice on where to get help, Dr. Elie G. Aoun suggests: “Your primary care provider or your therapist should be able to help you find treatment. If they cannot treat you, they will be able to point you in the right direction.”
The provider who treats you for gambling disorder may be able to help with a co-occurring condition. Often, people with gambling problems have many of the risk factors that predispose people to other addictive behaviors. These include lack of peer or community support, an unstable home life, and other psychiatric issues like depression.2 Some 96.3% of lifetime pathological gamblers also met the lifetime criteria for at least one other psychiatric disorder, according to the National Comorbidity Survey Replication in 2008.3
Gambling addiction is widespread enough that there are nationwide support groups that can help people stop gambling. Gamblers Anonymous can help; find out more at gamblersanonymous.org. Some states have gambling helplines, and a National Helpline for substance abuse and mental health services also is available at 1-800-662-4357.
People with a gambling addiction can develop strategies to help with cravings. For instance, you can reach out for support by calling a trusted friend or family member, or you may distract yourself with other activities. Postponing gambling and giving yourself time may allow the urge to pass or to at least weaken. It also can be helpful if you stop for just a moment and think about the consequences, and what will happen if you gamble.4
Around 1% of American adults have a severe gambling problem. Some 6% to 9% of young people and young adults have problems related to gambling, which is a higher rate than adults have.2
Recovering is challenging, but it is possible, says Dr. Elie G. Aoun. There are a couple of different approaches, he says. To get better, a combination of medication and psychotherapy can be helpful. While no medications are approved to treat gambling addiction, some medications can be used to treat co-occurring conditions such as anxiety or depression.
“Motivational interviewing is a form of psychotherapy that focuses on increasing people’s motivation to change their behavior,” he says.
Counseling can be useful because it can help an individual consider how gambling affects them and their families. Several forms of therapy are used to treat gambling disorders. These include group therapy, family therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and psychodynamic therapy.
Different people respond to different approaches in an individual way.4
If you think you or someone you care about may be suffering from a gambling addiction or any other mental health condition, seek help from a mental health professional in order to receive a proper diagnosis and support. We have compiled a list of resources (some even offer free or low-cost support) where you may be able to find additional help at https://www.healthcentral.com/mental-health/get-help-mental-health.