Pathological gambling accompanies myriad of psychological disorders for some veterans

American Indian and Hispanic veterans are much more likely than the general population to be pathological gamblers, and their addiction is likely accompanied by several psychological disorders, according to a study of 1,221 such veterans in the southwest and north central United States.

American Indian veterans in the study had a pathological gambling rate of 10 percent, and Hispanic veterans had a rate of 4.9 percent. Previous studies have estimated pathological gambling is prevalent in .9 percent to 3.4 percent of the U.S. population. One key to treatment and early intervention, the study's authors say, is recognizing that pathological gamblers are often suffering from substance abuse, an anxiety disorder or an affective disorder such as major depression or bipolar disorder.

"Early interventions for Pathological Gambling should consider common psychiatric conditions rather than focusing on Pathological Gambling alone," the study's authors wrote.

[From: "Lifetime Prevalence of Pathological Gambling Among American Indian and Hispanic Veterans." Contact: Joseph J. Westermeyer, MD, MPH, PhD, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minn., [email protected].]

Comments

The opinions expressed here are the views of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of News Medical.
Post a new comment
Post

Sign in to keep reading

We're committed to providing free access to quality science. By registering and providing insight into your preferences you're joining a community of over 1m science interested individuals and help us to provide you with insightful content whilst keeping our service free.

or

While we only use edited and approved content for Azthena answers, it may on occasions provide incorrect responses. Please confirm any data provided with the related suppliers or authors. We do not provide medical advice, if you search for medical information you must always consult a medical professional before acting on any information provided.

Your questions, but not your email details will be shared with OpenAI and retained for 30 days in accordance with their privacy principles.

Please do not ask questions that use sensitive or confidential information.

Read the full Terms & Conditions.

You might also like...
Teens who smoke or vape are more likely to use cannabis, study finds