Background. The Gambling Disorder (GD) was recently defined as
a behavioral addiction by the “The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual
of Mental Disorders IV”( DSM-V) since the clinical, neurobiological
and psychopathological similarities led it to be defined it as an
addiction “sine substantia”. The aim of this study is to formulate an
“identikit” of the gambler, to evaluate a possible association between
GD / emotional specific factors and the correlation between GD /
substance abuse, GD / suicide.
Method. In the study, 41 subjects were included (31 males and 10
females) and all were diagnosed with GD. A questionnaire was distributed
containing 24 questions deriving from South Oaks Gambling
Screen and the DSM-IVTR.
Results. The study showed that 51% of the respondents makes use
of alcohol and / or drugs; that 73% of the patients started playing in
order to relieve feelings of dysphoria and suffering consequences on
work as well as family life (51%). A great deal of the respondents were
indebted (39%) to the extent of needing to ask for loans from usurer
(17%). Furthermore, 41% of the respondents in the sample showed that
GD could be transformed into an alarming risk of suicide.
Discussion. The correlation between GD and drug abuse may depend
on the brain function and the neural circuits that support impulsive
behavior and the gratification mechanisms. Emotional experiences
(stress, low level of education, divorce, poor social support) could
constitute a possible risk factor that increases the GD. The committed
offenses related to gambling could be explained by “loss of control”.
Conclusion. The results of the present study contributes to the body
of knowledge regarding the size of phenomenon from a statistical and
epidemiological point of view, suggesting the necessity for targeted
information on the risks connected to GD in order to capture early
warning signs which enables the intervention with suitable strategies