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Pathological Gambling, Impulse Control Disorder or Behavioural Addiction: What do the Data Indicate?
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 23 March 2020
Abstract
The reclassification of PG as an addictive disorder is under debate for ICD-11. Data on psychiatric comorbidity and family history might provide the basis for a well-informed decision.
We compared 515 male pathological gamblers from inpatient treatment units with 269 matched controls. Patients were diagnosed by experienced clinicians. In a random sample of 58 patients clinical diagnoses were validated through SKID 1 interviews [1].
88% had a comorbid diagnosis of substance dependence (nicotine dependence 80%, alcohol dependence 28%). Only 1% of the gamblers had an impulse control disorder diagnosis. Compared with controls first degree relatives were more likely to suffer from alcohol dependence (27.0% vs. 7.4%), PG (8.3% vs. 0.7%) and suicide attempts (2.7% vs. 0.4%).
In addition to recent papers on the neurobiology (Fauth-Bühler et al., 2016) and genetics of gambling [2,3], our findings support the classification of PG as behavioural addiction in the ICD-11 [4].
The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.
- Type
- Symposium: gaming, gambling, behavioural addictions: challenges in diagnosis and treatment
- Information
- European Psychiatry , Volume 41 , Issue S1: Abstract of the 25th European Congress of Psychiatry , April 2017 , pp. S25 - S26
- Copyright
- Copyright © European Psychiatric Association 2017
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