Pathological gambling, as defined by American Psychiatric Association is an impulse control disorder associated with gambling. It is a chronic and progresive mental illness. It is estimated that 4-6% of gamblers are subject to the disease and that adolescents are three times more susceptible than adults.

The most common instrument used to screen for "probable pathological gambling" behavior is the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS) developed by Lesieur and Blume (1987) at the South Oaks Hospital in New York. This screen is undoubtedly the most cited instrument in psychological research liturature.

A difficulty with treatment is recognition of the problem by the person, i.e., overcoming the denial. Treatment involves individual and group psychotherapy. There are self-support groups, such as Gamblers Anonymous.

There are two commonly accepted perceptions on how gambling is related to the psychological makeup of the human mind: The first, that gambling is a form of abnormal behavior; And the second, that gambling is a socially acceptable form of normal behavior.

External links

• The Psychology of Gambling