Pathological gambling - gambling. What are the consequences for life?

As such, gambling is a perfectly legal leisure activity.
Gambling is also legal gambling, but requires more or less financial resources from the player.

However, pathological gambling is already defined according to the International Classification of Diseases as frequent or recurrent episodes of gambling that dominate an individual's life and also lead to disruption of family, social, work and material-economic values.

It arises as a result of the interplay of psychological, behavioural, cognitive and biological factors.

The difference between gambling and ordinary gambling is that in gambling the stakes are usually money (poker, black jack, craps, roulette, maria, slots, bingo, lotto, keno, eurojackpot) but also life and limb (Russian roulette).

Interesting:
In some countries gambling is banned.

Risk groups of people with a high probability of pathological gambling

• People with a positive family history of gambling
• According to statistics, the highest risk groups of people are teenagers (the average age of gambling initiation is 12 years) and young people
• Individuals with a history of psychological trauma during childhood (death in the family, divorce, alcoholism, upbringing) are also at risk
• men are more often affected, but gambling is also on the rise among women
• gambling is quickly succumbed to, especially by unemployed people and people on low incomes. The reason is the 'vision' of a big and quick profit.
• Vulnerable are also those who come into frequent contact with gambling (croupiers, nightclub workers...).

Pathological gambling has not yet received much attention. It affects the patient, his family and society as a whole.

At the time of the development of gambling, the patient himself may not be fully aware of the problem he has got into. The first link in the identification of the diagnosis is usually the family.

Gaming then and now

Games have always been a part of human life. They were a form of relaxation and entertainment, so their principle was not to make a lot of money.

In the past, people preferred simple games, such as throwing stones or twigs. Later, it was ball games, card games, dice or chess.

By the end of the 16th century, more and more complex games were being developed. These were the first precursors of today's slot machines. They were smaller gaming devices, such as music boxes.

In 1905, a machine called the stork was invented in Germany, which threw out chocolate when coins were thrown.

The first slot machine was made in 1981 in New York. It contained 5 reels and 50 cards. It quickly became popular and soon spread. The prize was not yet money, but what a particular business offered (for example, a glass of whisky).

Today's gambling

Nowadays, there are a number of gambling games that are very popular. The number one, however, is still slot machines.

These are groups of games that no longer serve for entertainment, but as a means to lose more money and develop an addiction.

In pathological gambling, there is a comorbidity with other addictions (cigarettes, alcohol, drugs), but also with other mental illnesses.

• Poker is a card game of chance, the principle of which is to combine your cards with the other cards drawn so that the best hand with the highest value occurs.
• Black jack is a gambling game in which the principle is to score more points than your opponent.
• Mariah is a card game played with seven cards, with king-queen being the highest value.
• Dice is a dice game, with the player with the highest total winning.
• Roulette is a game played on a machine that is shaped like a wheel. This consists of two floors. The upper one contains the numbers and the lower one the ball hutch, and bets are made on the numbers and suits before the roll is made.
• Slot machines are the most popular gambling game. After the coins have been thrown in, the reels on the machine can be spun. These contain different cards and characters, with 2 or 3 of the same character meaning a win according to a previously determined bet.

Who is a pathological gambler?

A pathological gambler is a person who meets the basic criteria for gambling. A person who plays slots or other games sporadically cannot automatically be said to gamble just because they seem to gamble too often.

Interesting:
An EEG (electroencephalograph) performed by a pathological gambler shows some abnormalities in the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain. It is thought that electrical abnormalities in these parts of the brain cause increased impulsivity and impaired attention in the gambler.
Other studies, in turn, have confirmed disturbances in the metabolism of serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine.

Criteria for a pathological gambler

There are certain criteria on the basis of which it can be concluded that an individual is a gambler. What are they?

The basic criteria of a pathological gambler:

• the individual has at least two episodes of gambling in a one-year period
• these episodes are unprofitable, even unprofitable for the individual, causing distress and problems in everyday life
• the gambler is unable to resist the game, and does not have the willpower to stop
• the patient has compulsive thoughts and ideas about gaming (and past gaming experiences), is obsessed with them, preoccupied with them

Other signs of a pathological gamer beyond the basic criteria:

• Plans to play again, rationalizes (falsely rationalizes why he/she is playing - e.g. refuge after an argument, seeking peace)
• Lies to family and others about regular play. Does not admit or conceals regularity of play
• Increases the amount of money and bets placed (feeling of tension, excitement)
• Considers where to get funds to play (going into debt, loans, embezzlement, fraud, theft)
• When not playing, has compulsive thoughts accompanied by inner turmoil. Irritable, impulsive
• He loses his job, family, friends because of the game - his personal life falls apart
• When he becomes aware of his addiction, he tries repeatedly to quit. Absence of play causes restlessness and bad feelings

Table of gamer types:

Who is mistaken for a pathological gambler?

It is really important to distinguish pathological gamblers from normal gamblers and bettors. They are also different from people with other psychiatric diagnoses who also experience frequent gambling but it is not their primary problem.

• Gamblers and people who like to gamble - These are individuals who do not suffer from an impulsive gambling disorder. Frequent gambling gives them a momentary thrill. In most cases, however, it is not a thrill but an attempt to win some money. They can keep their gambling in check and know a healthy level of what they are doing. They never bet more money than they have. They can compensate for the loss of smaller amounts of money or they do not miss it.
• Psychiatrically ill individuals without a diagnosis of gambling - We often see gambling in some psychiatric disorders. We see it in manic individuals and also in sociopathic personalities. It is the job of the psychiatrist to distinguish which disorder is actually present based on the prevailing personality traits and characteristics and treat it accordingly.

The pathological gambler goes through several stages

Like any disease or addiction, gambling addiction has a beginning, a course and an end. From the beginning of the addiction to its end, whether good or bad, the gambler goes through certain phases.

1. The phase of smaller wins
2. Phase of repeated losses
3. Phase of complete loss of control

The small wins phase - beginner's luck

The winnings phase in the beginning of gambling is also called the beginner's luck phase. In this phase it is easiest to stop gambling because the individual has not yet lost control of the game. He usually bets smaller amounts which he manages to win back repeatedly. This grows his self-confidence and the false belief of bigger wins.

The problem is precisely the occasional luck in the game, the repeated small cash wins and the perception of a big win that prevents him from doing so. The player feels optimism and euphoria. He mistakenly believes that he will win a larger amount of money. The risk is mainly posed by those who suffer from a lack of money.

His confidence gives him courage, so he raises the stakes, plays more often and slowly falls into a vicious circle from which it is difficult to escape. Sooner or later, the game completely engulfs him.

The phase of repeated losses

Higher stakes and more frequent play do not mean no win. On the contrary, the player loses money. In an attempt to get it back, he keeps increasing the frequency of the game instead of quitting it. Here we can already talk about pathological gambling.

The loss of money is also reflected in his behaviour and behaviour. He has problems not only in his personal life, but also in his work or school. He starts lying to his family and the people around him about how often he plays. He lies especially about how much money he has lost. Thinking that he will get his money back, he starts borrowing money from his family and later goes into debt (small loans).

He is constantly thinking only about the game (compulsive thoughts), also about how to quit. But this usually fails. The beginning of lies, reckless behaviour, borrowing money or even minor thefts marks the beginning of the last phase of gambling, namely the loss of control phase. He becomes withdrawn, isolates himself from others, becomes irritable and restless.

The phase of complete loss of control

In the loss-of-control phase, or the so-called despair phase, the gambler is no longer able to quit the game without help from others. Despite all the previous problems it has brought him, he increases the stakes. He devotes all his time and all his possessions to the game. And not only his. He regularly resorts to criminal activities (theft, embezzlement) to raise funds.

At this stage, the individual is already completely isolated from his surroundings. Interpersonal relationships are at a standstill, he loses his family, his job, his friends. He is left completely alone with his addiction. Gradually, the previous restitutions catch up with him, such as reminders for non-payment of loans, foreclosures, more than once extortion of money by other people or lawsuits for theft.

He is in a situation from which there is no way back. He is aware of this, he is remorseful, but he will never get out of it without help (which he often refuses). Of course, he blames everyone but himself for his failures.

Towards the end, he indulges in other addictions (alcohol, drugs), becomes depressed and despairing. Suicide attempts are frequent. Completed suicides are not rare, where the patient sees ending his life as the only redemption from a difficult situation.

Treating a gambler is not easy!

Treatment for addiction is very difficult. Although pathological gambling is not an addiction in the true sense of the word, it has much in common with addiction.
The individual has a compulsion to gamble all the time. When he or she does not have the opportunity, he or she becomes restless, irritable, and may even show withdrawal-like symptoms.

The common feature is not only the symptomatology, but also the similarities in the treatment of pathological gambling.
This has, of course, its dark side. This is, first of all, the consent of the patient himself, who on the one hand does not want to admit the disease, and on the other hand, signing means a long-term absence of play.

Psychotherapy and long-term inpatient treatment

The patient-gamer must be fully controlled by another person. The reason is simple. Once he is no longer in control, he returns to the game. It is precisely because of this complete control that long-term hospitalisation in specialised psychiatric institutions under the supervision of a psychiatrist is necessary.

Only in an inpatient facility can contact with play be prevented.

During hospitalisation, the patient undergoes various types of psychotherapy and rehabilitation. These treatments are done with individuals, but also in groups. The family tends to be an important link.

Medication and outpatient care

In more severe cases, the patient is usually put on medication, such as antidepressants. They dampen the patient's explosiveness, relieve discomfort, anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts.

Regular outpatient follow-up by a psychiatrist is recommended after discharge. This is very important, as pathological gamblers relapse quite frequently.