Symptoms
At first, $20 bets felt exciting, but now the same person regularly risks hundreds just to feel engaged.
Tolerance (money must increase)
This is the minimum number of criteria required to be diagnosed with gambling disorder.
4
This model explains gambling disorder as a combination of vulnerability and stress.
Diathesis-Stress Model
This type of therapy focuses on changing harmful thoughts and behaviors related to gambling.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Globally, gambling disorder affects approximately this percentage of the population.
0.2%–0.3%
When trying to cut back, someone becomes short-tempered with friends and unable to relax.
Irritable when trying to stop
Meeting 6–7 criteria places an individual in this severity level.
Moderate
Exposure to gambling in this life stage increases later risk.
Childhood or adolescence
These medications are the most commonly used antidepressants for gambling disorder.
SSRIs
This gender shows a faster progression of gambling disorder despite lower prevalence.
Women
Even when not gambling, a person spends their time replaying past wins and planning their next opportunity.
Preoccupation with gambling
This severity level is defined by meeting 8–9 criteria.
Severe
This biological factor shows higher concordance in identical twins compared to fraternal twins.
Genetic influence
This class of drugs includes Naltrexone and Nalmefene.
Opioid antagonists
This term describes when symptoms disappear for a long period without formal treatment.
Spontaneous long-term remission
After a major loss, someone returns the next day convinced they can fix the situation with another attempt.
Chasing losses
This change in DSM-5 removed a requirement related to criminal behavior.
Removal of “illegal acts”
This neurotransmitter reinforces the “try again” feeling during gambling.
Dopamine
This form of treatment involves support groups such as GA.
Peer support groups
These inaccurate beliefs about gambling outcomes contribute to continued behavior.
Cognitive distortions
A student secretly borrows money, avoids telling others how often they gamble, and begins damaging close relationships without stopping the behavior.
A combination of lying, jeopardizing relationships, and relying on others for money
This issue questions the accuracy of diagnosis because individuals may not fully report their behavior.
Self-report reliability
This cognitive distortion involves believing one is “due” for a win despite random outcomes.
False sense of control / distorted thinking
This advanced biological treatment uses brain stimulation to influence neural activity.
Neuromodulation (rTMS)
This brain region is involved in decision-making and reward evaluation in gambling behavior.
Prefrontal cortex