title: Gambling and the need for new responses in Public Health with an addiction "sine substantia".
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The Gambling Disorder (GD) was recently defined as a behavioral addiction by the "The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV"( DSM-V) since the clinical, neurobiological and psychopathological similarities led it to be defined it as an addiction "sine substantia". The aim of this study is to formulate an "identikit" of the gambler, to evaluate a possible association between GD / emotional specific factors and the correlation between GD / substance abuse, GD / suicide.
  
  
  METHODS
  In the study, 41 subjects were included (31 males and 10 females) and all were diagnosed with GD. A questionnaire was distributed containing 24 questions deriving from South Oaks Gambling Screen and the DSM-IVTR.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study showed that 51% of the respondents makes use of alcohol and / or drugs; that 73% of the patients started playing in order to relieve feelings of dysphoria and suffering consequences on work as well as family life (51%). A great deal of the respondents were indebted (39%) to the extent of needing to ask for loans from usurer (17%). Furthermore, 41% of the respondents in the sample showed that GD could be transformed into an alarming risk of suicide.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The correlation between GD and drug abuse may depend on the brain function and the neural circuits that support impulsive behavior and the gratification mechanisms. Emotional experiences (stress, low level of education, divorce, poor social support) could constitute a possible risk factor that increases the GD. The committed offenses related to gambling could be explained by "loss of control".
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of the present study contributes to the body of knowledge regarding the size of phenomenon from a statistical and epidemiological point of view, suggesting the necessity for targeted information on the risks connected to GD in order to capture early warning signs which enables the intervention with suitable strategies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomical sciences, histological, legal medicine and locomotor apparatus. University "Sapienza" of Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Crusco
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomical sciences, histological, legal medicine and locomotor apparatus. University "Sapienza" of Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Massoni
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomical sciences, histological, legal medicine and locomotor apparatus. University "Sapienza" of Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Luzi
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomical sciences, histological, legal medicine and locomotor apparatus. University "Sapienza" of Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ricci
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomical sciences, histological, legal medicine and locomotor apparatus. University "Sapienza" of Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pelosi
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomical sciences, histological, legal medicine and locomotor apparatus. University "Sapienza" of Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Corbosiero
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rapp-Ricciardi
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomical sciences, histological, legal medicine and locomotor apparatus. University "Sapienza" of Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ricci
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016739:Behavior, Addictive / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005715:Gambling / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007175:Impulsive Behavior; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010551:Personality; D011634:Public Health
keywords: Addiction; Anxiety; DSM-V; Depression; Drug abuse; Gambling; Suicide