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This month GP Alice Fitzgibbon talks about an issue which can lead to huge mental stress: gambling.
In the UK, gambling is a common activity that many people do for fun. You can bet on sports, go to arcades or stay up all night in a casino. Playing the lottery, using online games or putting money into investments are also all forms of gambling. You can gamble in person or online. You can spend £1 or £10,000 on a single bet. There are often no limits unless a person self imposes them and this is the problem. Gambling may be fun if you are in control and know when to stop, but if you don’t the implications can be huge. The effects of gambling can be devastating for the sufferer and their families.
So when does having the odd bet turn into a gambling disorder? Gambling disorder is a repeated pattern of gambling behaviour where the person:
• feels they have lost control
• continues to gamble despite negative consequences and
• prioritises gambling in front of other interests or activities.
The Royal College of Psychiatrists UK estimates that roughly 1 in every 100 people have a gambling disorder. There is no one cause for someone to develop gambling addiction – it could happen to anyone. There are recognised risk factors to developing it which include:
- Being a man – men are 4x more likely to have a gambling disorder than women
- Ethnicity and race – ethnic minority backgrounds may be 7x more likely to develop addiction
- Having a family history of addictions – especially your parents
- Personal history of gambling – witnessing or experiencing a big win at an early age or early on in your gambling experience makes it more likely you may run into problems
- Consuming alcohol or using drugs
- Having another mental health condition already – depression, anxiety, personality disorders or psychotic disorders
- Working in a ‘risky’ environment where gambling is prominent – betting shop, casino or arcade
- Having financial difficulties
- Taking some medications which alter dopamine (the ‘feel-good’ chemical) in our brains such as Levodopa for Parkinson’s disease or aripiprazole for psychotic disorders.
Gambling disorder can lead to devastating and long-lasting financial harm. Getting into debt can lead to being unable to pay bills, unable to meet repayments for mortgages or loans, borrowing money from family, friends or high interest loan companies, bankruptcy and poor credit scores. Some people even turn to illegal activities such as embezzlement or fraud as a way to seek out more money to continue gambling or hide the affect it is having.
When gambling takes over your life, every area can suffer. Not being present or constantly preoccupied at home can lead to relationship strain along with arguments about finances. Some people are not honest with their partners about their spending and the impact of this can be life changing. Having uncontrolled gambling disorder causes huge harm to an individual’s mental health too. It can lead to poor sleep, anxiety, low mood, mood swings, low self-esteem, suicidal thoughts and even attempts at suicide. It may well be a contributing factor to some people committing suicide. This is why being aware of gambling and its impact is so important so that people can get help or learn to stop gambling before it escalates to being a huge problem.
So, what can be done about gambling disorder? As with other addictions, it might not be as easy as “just stopping”. If you think you have a problem, seeking professional help is advised. Talking about your problem and acknowledging it is an important first step.
On a practical front, there are many simple and practical measures that can be taken quickly to limit gambling – putting gambling blocks on your bank account, moving money so you cannot access it for gambling, using GAMSTOP – a free online gambling self-exclusion programme which prevents you using UK registered online websites and apps when you register, or MOSES (Multi Operator Self Exclusion Scheme) which lets you ban yourself from betting shops as examples.
Gambling addiction can be treated with medication, cognitive behavioural therapy and 12 step support programmes such as Gambler’s Anonymous too. If you are worried about gambling or someone else’s behaviour, then early intervention is important. There is lots of help available to support individuals and their families impacted by gambling.
