title: A 6-month follow-up of imaginal desensitization plus motivational interviewing in the treatment of pathological gambling.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Pathological gambling (PG), a disabling disorder experienced by approximately 1% of adults, has few empirically validated treatments. A recent study demonstrated that 6 sessions of imaginal desensitization plus motivational interviewing (IDMI) was effective in achieving abstinence for a majority of individuals with PG. This study sought to examine whether those benefits were maintained 6 months post-treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-eight individuals who met DSM-IV criteria for PG were randomly assigned to 6 sessions of IDMI or Gamblers Anonymous (GA) referral over an 8-week period. Participants who failed to respond to GA were offered IDMI after the 8-week acute treatment period. All individuals who responded to IDMI were contacted after 6 months and assessed with measures of gambling severity and psychosocial functioning.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Forty-four participants completed 6 sessions of IDMI (25 initially assigned to IDMI and 19 to GA). Thirty-five of the 44 (79.5%) responded during acute treatment, and all 35 were available for a 6-month evaluation. All gambling severity scales maintained statistically significant gains from baseline, although some measures showed significant worsening compared with post-IDMI treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Six sessions of IDMI resulted in statistically significant reductions in PG urges and behavior, which were largely maintained for 6 months.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota School of Medicine, Minneapolis, MN 55454, USA. grant045@umn.edu
authors.forename: Jon E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Grant
authors.forename: Christopher B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Donahue
authors.forename: Brian L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Odlaug
authors.forename: Suck Won
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; D003887:Desensitization, Psychologic; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005715:Gambling / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D019018:Imagery, Psychotherapy; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009042:Motivation; D012050:Rehabilitation, Vocational / Q000523:psychology*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016896:Treatment Outcome