Study Indicates Gambling Problems Linked To Mental Disorders

Hong Kong is one of the cities in the world where the largest amounts of gamblers reside. A new study has come out that indicates that most gambling addicts in the city also have some other form of mental disorder.

The Tung Wah Group of Hospitals, the Divisions of Addictions for Harvard Medical School, and the Department of Applied Social Science of Hong Kong Polytechnic University have conducted a joing study in which they spent nine months interviewing and collecting information from 201 gamblers. The subjects all were problem gamblers who sought help for their addiction.

Over sixty percent of the subjects were diagnosed during the time they were studied as having at least one mental disorder. The disorders ranged from depression to anxiety, and have been linked to gambling addiction in the past. The results caused the researchers to push for more mental health help.

"Mental health has long been neglected," said Professor Daniel Shek Tan-lei of Hong Kong Polytechnic University. "but pathological gambling cannot be taken at face value. It is intertwined with psychiatric problems which must be dealt with by professionals."

Problem gambling has reached heightened levels in recent years in Hong Kong thanks to the casino industry in Macau. The Asian gambling center has caused many Hong Kong residents to visit, and these high rollers sometimes fall into a betting pattern that is unhealthy.

All across the world, doctors have been researching what could be the underlying factors that contribute to gambling addiction. Treatment centers have become commonplace in areas where casinos and other forms of gambling are prevalent. In the US, some states even require treatment facilities and educational tools before the casino are built.

The study also concluded what those before it have found, that problem gamblers often are withdrawn from their family and their loved ones. Depression and anxiety are primary causes for the withdrawal, and researchers believe that the gambling addiction only makes the mental disorders stronger.

September 5, 2010
Posted By Terry Goodwin
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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