Definition:
Pathological gambling is an impulse control disorder wherein the afflicted is unable to resist the urge to gamble, leading to severe consequences.
Diagnosis:
To diagnose pathological gambling, a psychiatric evaluation and history may be done.
Treatment:
Cognitive behavioral therapy, and the help of support groups are found to be effective treatments for pathological gambling.
Symptoms and Signs:
A pathological gambler exhibits the following symptoms: spending a lot of time gambling and thinking about gambling, inability to cut back or quit the vice despite deleterious personal and social consequences, feeling the need to gamble larger amounts of money, lying about the amount of money and time spent on gambling, and commiting crimes just so to get money to gamble.
Causes:
The cause of this condition may be psychological.
