Exerpted from:
GAMBLING AS AN ADDICTIVE PSYCHIATRIC DISORDER
GAMBLING STUDY
The American Psychiatric Association did not formally recognize pathological gambling as a genuine psychiatric disorder until 1980. Freud (1929/1950) had studied problem gambling, but he was rather pessimistic about its prognosis.
The most current definition of “pathological gambling” appears in DSM-IV, published in 1990. The American Psychiatric Association defines pathological gambling as a progressive psychological disorder characterized by emotional dependence, loss of control, and accompanying negative consequences in the gamblers’ school, social, or vocational life. Other common names for pathological gambling are compulsive gambling and addictive gambling.
More specifically, in DSM-IV, Pathological Gambling (312.31) is defined as an Axis I disorder of persistent and recurrent maladaptive behaviors. To receive the diagnosis, the patient must demonstrate five of the
following:
1. Preoccupation with gambling.
2. Need to gamble with increasing amounts of money to achieve heightened arousal.
3. Repeated unsuccessful efforts to control, cut back, or stop gambling.
4. Restlessness or irritability when attempting to cut down or reduce gambling.
5. Gambling as a way of escaping from dysphoric moods.
6. Returning after a losing day, to “get even.”
7. Lying to family and others about extent of involvement with gambling.
8. Commission of illegal acts to finance gambling.
9. Jeopardization of a significant relationship or of an education or career opportunity from gambling.
10. Reliance on others to provide money to help the financial status caused by gambling.
The sole exclusion criterion is that gambling behavior is not due to bipolar disorders.
The argument concerning whether gambling is an “addiction” is unnecessarily controversial and at times defies common sense (Kusyszyn, 1980). For example, several years ago, a popular advice columnist ran an
article from a physician stating that gambling “could not possibly” be addictive. By definition, according to this person, actions such as gambling, shoplifting, and excessive sexual behaviors do not involve substance ingestion and therefore are not addictions. Instead, the physician argued, they are usually manifestations of manic depressive illness. (Interestingly, mania is an exclusion diagnosis for gambling disorders. If this were
true, then gambling patients would almost all be controlled with lithium, which is not the case.)
Unfortunately, this is an outmoded yet still popular view. In part, the DSM-IV supports it. Gambling is not classified as an addictive disorder because the latter term is reserved for behaviors associated with specific
abused substances. Instead, it is characterized as a disorder of impulse control.
Gambling is placed in the same category as fire setting, hair pulling, and explosive temperament, rather than alcohol abuse and cocaine use, despite the fact that the dynamics of gambling include preoccupation,
loss of control, tolerance, withdrawal, and other aspects that make it indistinguishable from a classic addiction (Lesieur, 1989).
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Guys,
Even though this pertains to gambling, online auctioning closely resembles gambling. The competitive aspect of auctioning is being observed by specialists and experts in sociology, psychology, addiction counselors, and doctors in all fields of medicine. This may shed some light on the out of control bidding being done for items that easily can be found for less.
I have a BA in Behavioral Science and an MS in Special Education. Lots of class time spent on addictions and their indicators. I thought this was interesting. I hope you do to.
M. Gipson
GAMBLING AS AN ADDICTIVE PSYCHIATRIC DISORDER
GAMBLING STUDY
The American Psychiatric Association did not formally recognize pathological gambling as a genuine psychiatric disorder until 1980. Freud (1929/1950) had studied problem gambling, but he was rather pessimistic about its prognosis.
The most current definition of “pathological gambling” appears in DSM-IV, published in 1990. The American Psychiatric Association defines pathological gambling as a progressive psychological disorder characterized by emotional dependence, loss of control, and accompanying negative consequences in the gamblers’ school, social, or vocational life. Other common names for pathological gambling are compulsive gambling and addictive gambling.
More specifically, in DSM-IV, Pathological Gambling (312.31) is defined as an Axis I disorder of persistent and recurrent maladaptive behaviors. To receive the diagnosis, the patient must demonstrate five of the
following:
1. Preoccupation with gambling.
2. Need to gamble with increasing amounts of money to achieve heightened arousal.
3. Repeated unsuccessful efforts to control, cut back, or stop gambling.
4. Restlessness or irritability when attempting to cut down or reduce gambling.
5. Gambling as a way of escaping from dysphoric moods.
6. Returning after a losing day, to “get even.”
7. Lying to family and others about extent of involvement with gambling.
8. Commission of illegal acts to finance gambling.
9. Jeopardization of a significant relationship or of an education or career opportunity from gambling.
10. Reliance on others to provide money to help the financial status caused by gambling.
The sole exclusion criterion is that gambling behavior is not due to bipolar disorders.
The argument concerning whether gambling is an “addiction” is unnecessarily controversial and at times defies common sense (Kusyszyn, 1980). For example, several years ago, a popular advice columnist ran an
article from a physician stating that gambling “could not possibly” be addictive. By definition, according to this person, actions such as gambling, shoplifting, and excessive sexual behaviors do not involve substance ingestion and therefore are not addictions. Instead, the physician argued, they are usually manifestations of manic depressive illness. (Interestingly, mania is an exclusion diagnosis for gambling disorders. If this were
true, then gambling patients would almost all be controlled with lithium, which is not the case.)
Unfortunately, this is an outmoded yet still popular view. In part, the DSM-IV supports it. Gambling is not classified as an addictive disorder because the latter term is reserved for behaviors associated with specific
abused substances. Instead, it is characterized as a disorder of impulse control.
Gambling is placed in the same category as fire setting, hair pulling, and explosive temperament, rather than alcohol abuse and cocaine use, despite the fact that the dynamics of gambling include preoccupation,
loss of control, tolerance, withdrawal, and other aspects that make it indistinguishable from a classic addiction (Lesieur, 1989).
*******************
Guys,
Even though this pertains to gambling, online auctioning closely resembles gambling. The competitive aspect of auctioning is being observed by specialists and experts in sociology, psychology, addiction counselors, and doctors in all fields of medicine. This may shed some light on the out of control bidding being done for items that easily can be found for less.
I have a BA in Behavioral Science and an MS in Special Education. Lots of class time spent on addictions and their indicators. I thought this was interesting. I hope you do to.
M. Gipson
