National Problem Gambling Awareness Week: March 7th-13th, 2010
Problem Gambling Is Often Overlooked
(NAPS)—It’s a good bet that when a problem gambler seeks treatment for other physical health or mental health problems, he or she will go undiagnosed and untreated for the gambling problem. “Our research shows that 2 to 3 percent of the U.S. population will have a gambling problem in any given year,” said Keith Whyte, executive director for the National Council on Problem Gambling in Washington, D.C., “and many of these gamblers first go to their primary care providers complaining of stress-related problems such as migraines, insomnia, stomach ailments and even cardiac distress.” Whyte noted that few, if any, health care professionals routinely screen for problem gambling. “Of the thousands of problem gamblers who receive medical intervention every year, few are ever diagnosed with the gambling disorder,” Whyte said. “The doctors end up treating the physical symptoms and not the underlying mental disorder that caused the symptoms.”
In fact, a study of gambling disorders published in the Archives of Family Medicine found that about 10 percent of all patients entering the primary health care setting met the criteria for problem gambling. And the missed diagnoses don’t only happen in primary health care. Whyte said, “Several studies have placed gamblers at higher risk for depression, as well as alcohol and drug abuse. So the gambling addiction may go unscreened and untreated by the mental health care system as well.” Most intake forms for treatment ask details about a person’s mental health history, including drug or alcohol use. They don’t even list problem gambling anywhere on the form, and neither the doctors nor social workers nor counselors are trained to ask about it. “They miss the gambling diagnosis because they don’t ask,” said Mia Moran-Cooper, executive director of the Problem Gamblers Help Network of West Virginia, who chairs this year’s national Problem Gambling Awareness Week campaign. “Most gambling addicts are in denial. They won’t volunteer information about their gambling problem because they think they can quit at any time,” said Moran-Cooper.
To learn more or to find help, call toll free (800) 522-4700 or visit www.ncpgambling.org or the Minnesota Problem Gambling Helpline at (800) 333-HOPE.
Article Source: www.npgaw.org.
Would you know if a friend, loved one, coworker, patient or student had a gambling problem? It’s important to know the signs. Three percent of the US population, or 6 to 9 million Americans may have a problem, which puts them and their families at financial and emotional risk.
Here are some warning signs:
• Preoccupied with gambling and unable to stop
• Bragging about gambling, exaggerating wins, minimizing losses
• Restless and irritable when not gambling
• Gambling to win back what they’ve lost
• Borrowing money for gambling
• Lying to hide time spent gambling or unpaid debts
• Frequent unexplained absences
• Losing work time because of gambling
• Doing something illegal to get money for gambling
• Jeopardizing a significant relationship or job by gambling
This information was submitted by Paula J. Detjen, MA, LMFT, LPC. Ms. Detjen is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and a Minnesota state approved provider on problem gambling. She has a private practice in downtown Northfield where she provides services not only to individuals with problem gambling but also to affected others. Paula Detjen can be reached at (507) 581-0430, by e-mail: Paula.J.Detjen@charter.net or visit www.DetjenCounseling.com
