Excessive gambling and gaming recognised as addictive disorders
By John B. Saunders
February 24th 2018
There is no doubt that excessive gambling can cause a huge mental, personal, and financial toll for the gambler and the members of their family. The nature of excessive gambling and whether it constitutes a disorder has been the subject of much research, debate, and controversy in recent years. Originally included with impulse control disorders as “pathological gambling†in the American Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM), it has in the most recent edition, DSM-5, been included in the addictive disorders section with various psychoactive substance use disorders. The criteria for what is termed “gambling disorder†in DSM-5 now share many of those with substance use disorders, including features such as priority given to gambling over other life activities and responsibilities, urges to gamble, and the need to gamble increasing amounts.
https://blog.oup.com/2018/02/excessive-gambling-gaming-addictive-disorders/
