Gambling involves placing something of value, often money, on the outcome of a random event. This activity is often associated with risk-taking and impulsiveness, and it is a common cause of addiction. It is also a major international commercial activity, and people wager on a variety of events, including horse races, football games, casino games and lottery draws.
While gambling has many positive effects, it can also lead to significant losses and negative consequences for individuals and society. It is important to recognize when gambling has become a problem, and seek treatment as soon as possible.
There are a number of different types of psychotherapy and other treatments for people with gambling disorders. These include psychodynamic therapy, which focuses on unconscious processes that may contribute to gambling behavior; family therapy, which can help families educate themselves about the disorder and support one another; and group therapy, in which people meet with a mental health professional to describe their gambling problems in a supportive environment. Some people with gambling disorders may also benefit from psychoeducational interventions, which are educational programs that teach people about the risks and consequences of gambling.
The understanding of gambling has undergone profound changes over time. Historically, individuals who suffered adverse consequences from gambling were viewed as having gambling problems, but now we see them as having psychological problems. This change is reflected in, and partly stimulated by, the changes to the diagnostic criteria for pathological gambling that have occurred in recent editions of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (called DSM).
Researchers investigating the prevalence and impact of gambling use have found that it is associated with a number of factors. These include a person’s personality traits and coexisting mental health conditions, the way in which a person manages stress, depression or anxiety, and their financial situation. Researchers have also found that a person’s culture may influence their beliefs about the acceptability of gambling and how they respond to problems with it.
In addition to these psychological factors, there are some biological factors that can contribute to gambling disorders. These include a person’s genetic predisposition to thrill-seeking behaviour and impulsivity, and differences in their brain regions that are involved in reward processing and control of impulses.
Individuals who gamble for coping reasons – to forget their worries, as a social activity or to relieve boredom – are more likely to develop gambling problems. It is therefore important to learn healthier ways of relieving unpleasant feelings and reducing boredom, such as exercising, spending time with friends who don’t gamble, or taking up a new hobby. It is also helpful to seek help for underlying mood disorders, which can trigger and worsen gambling behavior. Longitudinal research is essential to better understand the onset, development and maintenance of gambling behavior, and it can identify a range of moderating factors. Longitudinal studies can also provide more precise causal inferences than other designs. However, practical and logistical barriers make longitudinal studies difficult to conduct.
