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Advances in Psychiatric Treatment (2005) 11: 450-456
© 2005 The Royal College of Psychiatrists

Pathological gambling: an overview of assessment and treatment

Sanju George and Vijaya Murali

Sanju George is a specialist registrar in general adult psychiatry and an honorary clinical lecturer in psychiatry at the University of Birmingham (Queen Elizabeth Psychiatric Hospital, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2QZ, UK. Tel.: 0121 6782526; e-mail: sanju.george{at}talk21.com). His main interests lie in undergraduate medical education and pharmacological treatments of drug dependence. Vijaya Murali is a consultant in addiction psychiatry in Birmingham. She has a particular interest in dual diagnosis, and substance misuse in women.

Pathological gambling has so far received scant attention in the psychiatric literature. It has a prevalence rate of about 1% in most countries, and with the deregulation of gambling in the UK the prevalence is set to rise here. Pathological gambling can adversely affect the individual, family and society, and also carries high rates of psychiatric comorbidity. Early identification and appropriate treatment can limit the long-term adverse consequences and improve outcome. This article reviews assessment techniques and tools, and treatment strategies for pathological gambling.