This book provides an overview of the state of the art in research on and treatment of gambling disorder. As a behavioral addiction, gambling disorder is of increasing relevance to the field of mental health. Research conducted in the last decade has yielded valuable new insights into the characteristics and etiology of gambling disorder, as well as effective treatment strategies. The different chapters of this book present detailed information on the general concept of addiction as applied to gambling, the clinical characteristics, epidemiology and comorbidities of gambling disorder, as well as typical cognitive distortions found in patients with gambling disorder. In addition, the book includes chapters discussing animal models and the genetic and neurobiological underpinnings of the disorder. Further, it is examining treatment options including pharmacological and psychological intervention methods, as well as innovative new treatment approaches. The book also discusses relevant similarities to and differences with substance-related disorders and other behavioral addictions. Lastly, it examines gambling behavior from a cultural perspective, considers possible prevention strategies and outlines future perspectives in the field.
As states have moved from merely tolerating gambling to running their own games, as communities have increasingly turned to gambling for an economic boost, important questions arise. Has the new age of gambling increased the proportion of pathological or problem gamblers in the U.S. population? Where is the threshold between "social betting" and pathology? Is there a real threat to our families, communities, and the larger society? Pathological Gambling explores America's experience of gambling, examining: The diverse and frequently controversial issues surrounding the definition of pathological gambling. Its co-occurrence with disorders such as alcoholism, drug abuse, and depression. Its social characteristics and economic consequences, both good and bad, for communities. The role of video gaming, Internet gambling, and other technologies in the development of gambling problems. Treatment approaches and their effectiveness, from Gambler's Anonymous to cognitive therapy to pharmacology. This book provides the most up-to-date information available on the prevalence of pathological and problem gambling in the United States, including a look at populations that may have a particular vulnerability to gambling: women, adolescents, and minority populations. Its describes the effects of problem gambling on families, friendships, employment, finances, and propensity to crime. How do pathological gamblers perceive and misperceive randomness and chance? What are the causal pathways to pathological gambling? What do genetics, brain imaging, and other studies tell us about the biology of gambling? Is there a bit of sensation-seeking in all of us? Who needs treatment? What do we know about the effectiveness of different policies for dealing with pathological gambling? The book reviews the available facts and frames the intriguing questions yet to be answered. Pathological Gambling will be the odds-on favorite for anyone interested in gambling in America: policymakers, public officials, economics and social researchers, treatment professionals, and concerned gamblers and their families.
The Biology of Gambling is the third volume in the Gambling Theory and Research Series. Author Mikal Aasved wrote this series to meet the need for a comprehensive review and synthesis of the many published materials pertaining to gambling theory and research. The series summarizes and critiques the findings and conclusions of investigators who have attempted to determine the motivations for gambling, both normative and excessive. Dr. Aasved provides a thorough examination of the research efforts and theoretical explanations of leaders in the field of gambling studies. This volume focuses on the etiological or causal theories that have been advanced by specialists in the medical sciences, an increasing number of whom are adopting the view that biological factors play an important role in the developmnet of many addictive, obsessive-compulsive, and other maladaptive behavior disorders. The fifteen chapters are divided into four parts. Part I reviews medical or disease models of addiction, discussing early and later conceptions. The core features of addiction, the alcohol dependence syndrome, heritability of addiction, longitudinal studies, and the quest to discover the biological basis of addiction are explored in detail. Part II examines the medical models of pathological gambling by exploring early ideas on gambling and human evolution, recent definition and diagnosis of pathological gambling, criticisms of the medical and addiction models, treatment goals, and the ongoing quest to discover the biological basis of pathological gambling. Part III concerns multicausal models of pathological gambling, and focuses on general theories of addiction, gambling-specific theories, and finishes with a critique of multicausal approaches. Part IV integrates the contents of the book by highlighting its main points and offering such concluding observations as: "Where do we now stand, and where do we go from here?" This book, as well as the entire
Through the vivid, true stories of five people who journeyed into and out of addiction, a renowned neuroscientist explains why the "disease model" of addiction is wrong and illuminates the path to recovery. The psychiatric establishment and rehab industry in the Western world have branded addiction a brain disease. But in The Biology of Desire, cognitive neuroscientist and former addict Marc Lewis makes a convincing case that addiction is not a disease, and shows why the disease model has become an obstacle to healing. Lewis reveals addiction as an unintended consequence of the brain doing what it's supposed to do-seek pleasure and relief-in a world that's not cooperating. As a result, most treatment based on the disease model fails. Lewis shows how treatment can be retooled to achieve lasting recovery. This is enlightening and optimistic reading for anyone who has wrestled with addiction either personally or professionally.
If you feel as if you can no longer control your gambling, if your gambling has interfered with your family, social, or working life, this workbook can help you take back control. Though gambling has become increasingly prevalent in society, pathological gambling is a serious condition. Pathological gamblers find they are unable to participate in their social lives, have problems at work, and end up in financial trouble because they feel compelled to keep gambling. Much of this problem comes from incorrect beliefs about the nature of the game; people believe they can beat the system or learn to control the outcome of games of chance. In this treatment, you will learn not only how to avoid problem situations, but also the truth about gambling. Overcoming Your Pathological Gambling is written by researchers who have spent over two decades studying the psychology of gambling. This book represents the treatment they have found to be most effective at controlling the urge to gamble, understanding the true nature of gambling games, and preventing future gambling problems. Intended for use in conjunction with supervised therapy, this workbook includes various self-assessments and exercises designed to help you reach the ultimate goal of complete abstinence from gambling. This workbook and the corresponding therapist guide form a complete treatment package that will help you overcome your gambling problem and learn recovery skills that are useful for a lifetime. TreatmentsThatWorkTM represents the gold standard of behavioral healthcare interventions! · All programs have been rigorously tested in clinical trials and are backed by years of research · A prestigious scientific advisory board, led by series Editor-In-Chief David H. Barlow, reviews and evaluates each intervention to ensure that it meets the highest standard of evidence so you can be confident that you are using the most effective treatment available to date · Our books are reliable and effective and make it easy for you to provide your clients with the best care available · Our corresponding workbooks contain psychoeducational information, forms and worksheets, and homework assignments to keep clients engaged and motivated · A companion website (www.oup.com/us/ttw) offers downloadable clinical tools and helpful resources · Continuing Education (CE) Credits are now available on select titles in collaboration with PsychoEducational Resources, Inc. (PER)
The past five years have witnessed dramatic advances in research on pathological gambling -- a diagnosis often overlooked by clinicians who are unaware not only of the personal and social consequences of pathological gambling, but also of the possible treatment options. Today, clinicians can choose from an array of treatment options to substantially improve the lives of patients with this disabling illness. Eloquently attesting to this extraordinary progress, this remarkable clinician's guide comprises the most extensive coverage on public health, clinical characteristics and treatment, psychotherapy and psychopharmacology, and interventions for adolescents, adults, and older adults. Written by the world's leading researchers on psychiatric aspects of gambling, this truly comprehensive volume discusses how to diagnose pathological gambling and provides the tools to do so. Here, 32 experts detail the clinical phenomenology, etiology, and treatment of pathological gambling, highlighting the current clinical approaches most likely to lead to early identification, symptom remission, and improvement maintenance. Useful appendixes provide specific tests, scales, and diagnostic criteria following four major sections of the book: Public Health and Epidemiology discusses prevalence and definitions of recreational, problem, and pathological gambling; the relationship between the different levels of gambling severity; and gambling's effects on societal, familial, and individual health and well-being. Clinical Characteristics covers the symptoms and sequelae of pathological gambling and the differences among adolescents, older adults, and men and women, and shows that pathological gambling -- rather than being categorized as a single disorder -- shares important features with many disorders, among them obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders, affective spectrum disorders, addiction, and impulse-control disorder. Etiology details the realms of both psychology (behavioral, cognitive, and dispositional theories) and neurobiology (noradrenergic, serotonergic, dopaminergic, and opioidergic systems as well as familial and inherited factors) to explain the behavior of pathological gambling -- knowledge that may prove useful in understanding a range of addictive and impulsive disorders. Prevention and Treatment emphasizes the vital role of the clinician in prevention efforts, including a prevention strategy tailored specifically for adolescents and young adults; discusses a variety of behavioral and pharmacological interventions for patients including self-help and professional-based interventions for family members; and concludes with assessments useful in diagnosing pathological gambling and monitoring symptom change. Psychiatrists, psychiatric researchers, and other mental health care professionals will welcome this book as their most up-to-date source for invaluable knowledge about and research from the world's recognized experts on pathological gambling.
Traditionally, impulsive and compulsive behaviors have been categorized as fundamentally distinct. However, patients often exhibit both of these behaviors. This common comorbidity has sparked renewed interest in the factors contributing to the disorders in which these behaviors are prominent. Impulsivity and Compulsivity applies a provocative spectrum model to this psychopathology. The spectrum model is consistent with a dimensional model for psychopathology and considers the dynamic interaction of biopsychosocial forces in the development of impulsive and compulsive disorders. In this important work on impulsive/compulsive psychopathology, leading researchers and clinicians share their expertise on the phenomenological, biological, psychodynamic, and treatment aspects of these disorders. Differential diagnosis, comorbidity of the impulsive-compulsive spectrum of disorders, and assessment by the seven-factor model of temperament and character are discussed. Chapters are also dedicated to the antianxiety function of impulsivity and compulsivity, defense mechanisms in impulsive disorders versus obsessive-compulsive disorders, and the unique aspects of psychotherapy with impulsive and compulsive patients. Clinical researchers and clinicians will be enlightened by this exceptional work. The information provided is supplemented with clinical vignettes, and the final chapter provides a synthetic summary that offers a unified, dynamic approach to impulsive and compulsive behavior.
Seventeen years since the first edition and eight years since DSM-5 reclassified "pathological gambling," Gambling Disorder: A Clinical Guide to Treatment is here to provide clinicians with the latest thinking about gambling disorder. It is an exciting moment in the history of gambling research, with scholarly inquiry into the epidemiology, etiology, neurobiology, and treatment of this disorder growing by leaps and bounds. However, many clinicians remain unaware of the disorder's symptoms, though common, and are uninformed about available treatments, many developed quite recently. Acting on this knowledge, the editors set out to compile a guide that would equip clinicians to recognize patients exhibiting signs of the disorder, competently assess them, and work to identify effective treatment options. In addition, the book explores different ways the disorder may manifest across genders and among older and younger patients, forensic issues, and the relatively new area of study, online gambling and gambling-gaming convergence. Not so much a revision as a reconceptualization, Gambling Disorder: A Clinical Guide to Treatment brings a new cast of contributors, a totally restructured text, and the research and clinical wisdom amassed over the past decade and a half to bear on this critically important, yet often overlooked, disorder.
"Brilliant." - David Brooks, The New York Times "A profoundly unconventional book...So absorbing that I wound up reading it twice." - Bloomberg Finalist for the Financial Times and Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year What happens to your body when you take risks? What happens to it when you make or lose a lot of money? In this startling book, physiologist and former Wall Street trader John Coates vividly illustrates what happens to your body when you engage in risk taking. You transform into a different person, a change Coates refers to as "the hour between dog and wolf." He tells a gripping story of a group of traders caught in a bull market and then a crash. As the excitement builds he takes us inside the traders' bodies to see the biology of risk taking at work, a biology shared by athletes, politicians, soldiers - anyone who ventures beyond their safety zone. Coates also discusses how men and women excel at different types of risk; how the stress of failure damages our health; and how we can train our bodies so that they help rather than hinder our risk taking. Revealing the biology behind bubbles and crashes, The Hour Between Dog and Wolf sheds new and surprising light on issues that affect us all.
