title: [Pathological gambling: a clinical and therapeutic-evolutive study of a group of pathologic gamblers].
abstract: Gambling dependence or pathological gambling is a psychiatric disorder, recognised as such by the North American Psychiatric Association since 1980. Since 1981 we are carrying out a treatment program for patients who suffer from pathological gambling at the Psychiatric Service of "Ramón y Cajal" Hospital. There is an individualized treatment for each patient and their inclusion in group therapy discussions. We present a descriptive study of the most representative socio-demographic, clinical and therapeutic-evolutive data of 46 patients following treatment in our program. All fulfill the diagnostic criteria of DSM III-R for pathological gambling. They were 37 males and 9 females, with an average age of 39 years. More than half of the patients (58%) were consumers of alcoholic beverages; the drug consumption index found was 4% and practically they all were smokers (87%). The excessive drinking and pathological gambling incidence found among family were 35% and 20% respectively. Our therapeutic results support the idea that pathological gambling is a treatable disorder. After an average of two years following treatment 46% of our patients stopped or notably reduced its impulse to gamble. The high incidence of alcohol or drugs consumption among pathological gamblers and their families suggest a biological and psychological relationship between pathological gambling and the classical addictive disorders.
authors.affiliation: Universidad de Alcalá de Henares, Servicio de Psiquiatría, Hospital Ramón y Cajal, Madrid.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Saiz Ruiz
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Moreno Oliver
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: López-Ibor Aliño
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D005715:Gambling / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009790:Occupations; D011613:Psychotherapy; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013406:Suicide, Attempted
vernacular_title: Ludopatía: estudio clínico y terapéutico-evolutivo de un grupo de jugadores patológicos.