Psychiatry Specialist Dr. Aysu Yakın Olgun said, “Just like in severe mental illnesses, there is an increased risk of suicide in gambling addiction. For these reasons, the treatment approach is of great importance. Although medication is among the treatment options today, it should be supported by psychotherapies such as cognitive behavioral therapy and motivational interviewing.”
Psychiatry Specialist Dr. Aysu Yakın Olgun from VM Medical Park Samsun Hospital gave information about gambling addiction. Stating that gambling addiction is a kind of addiction that develops through similar circuits in the brain such as substance, alcohol and online gaming addictions, Specialist. Prof. Dr. Aysu Yakın Olgun said, “The diagnostic criteria for this addiction are as follows; irregular gambling, frequent time allocation for gambling, the need to gamble with more and more money, feeling uneasy during gambling cessation and failing to control this situation, gambling affecting the basic areas of life such as work, school, home, gambling to escape from depressed mood, trying to compensate for gambling losses with gambling again, experiencing problems in important relationships due to gambling and trusting others.”
“Men are more likely to engage in illegal acts”
Stating that male gender, young age, low socioeconomic status, starting gambling at an early age, the presence of an additional diagnosis of psychiatric illness, adverse childhood experiences and a family history of similar addiction are among the risk factors associated with gambling addiction, Uzm. Dr. Olgun said, “Men are more likely to engage in strategic or face-to-face gambling (e.g. poker) and to engage in illegal acts. In women, less interpersonal games and non-strategic games (e.g. slot machines) are preferred and gambling is reported to be used to escape personal problems.”
“It can be seen with many psychiatric diseases”
Stating that gambling addiction can be seen together with various psychiatric disorders such as impulse control disorders, mood disorders, anxiety disorders and personality disorders, Specialist. Dr. Olgun said, “Inappropriate coping mechanisms seen in psychiatric diseases are thought to be effective in the development of this addiction.”
“A person thinks he controls his chances of winning”
Stating that there are two important factors defined as “illusion of control” and “gambler's delusion” that cause gambling addiction to settle and persist, Uzm. Prof. Dr. Olgun said, “The gambler believes that he/she has achieved the winning situation, which is completely dependent on chance, with irrelevant and illogical rules. For example, he thinks that he controls his chances of winning with methods such as choosing lucky lottery numbers or using a guide in sports betting. Defeats do not diminish this sense of control. Such distorted thinking needs to be addressed through psychotherapies, as it makes it difficult to recover from gambling addiction.”
“Factors preventing treatment”
Stating that factors such as embarrassment, fear of stigmatization, difficulties in accepting the problem, treatment costs and concerns about time are important barriers to treatment in gambling addiction, Uzm. Dr. Olgun said, “Just like in severe mental illnesses, the risk of suicide is increased in gambling addiction. For these reasons, the treatment approach is of great importance. Although medication is among the treatment options today, it should be supported by psychotherapies such as cognitive behavioral therapy and motivational interviewing.”
“The proliferation of virtual gambling apps has increased the danger”
Stating that gambling addiction has become more on the agenda with the increasing number of virtual gambling applications, Uzm. Dr. Olgun concluded his statement as follows:
“Easy accessibility and fast results cause this problem to become more widespread. Today, when our lives are almost unthinkable without cell phones, it is becoming increasingly difficult to stay away from gambling apps. For this reason, it is very important to recognize gambling addiction and seek professional help if problems are experienced.”
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