Diagnosis and treatment of pathologic gambling.
Pathologic gambling (PG) is an impulse control disorder characterized by recurrent and maladaptive gambling behaviors that significantly disrupt the patient's functioning in the personal, familial, or vocational spheres. Pathologic gambling is estimated to currently affect 1% to 3.4% of the adult US population and is frequently comorbid with substance abuse or dependence, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and affective disorders. Studies show evidence for the involvement of the serotonergic, noradrenergic, and dopaminergic systems in the etiology of PG. Medication treatment studies performed in PG patients demonstrated the short-term efficacy of various serotonin reuptake inhibitors, opioid antagonists, and mood stabilizers in a subsample of adult pathologic gamblers who seek treatment. This review focuses on recent research examining the neurobiology and treatment of PG.
Sood
Erica D
ED
Department of Psychiatry, The Mount Sinai School of Medicine, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1230, New York, NY 10029, USA.
Pallanti
Stefano
S
Hollander
Eric
E
D000328:Adult; D007174:Disruptive, Impulse Control, and Conduct Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005715:Gambling / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans