The South Oaks Gambling Screen is a 20-item questionnaire based on DSM-III criteria for pathological gambling. It may be self-administered or administered by nonprofessional or professional interviewers. A total of 1,616 subjects were involved in its development: 867 patients with diagnoses of substance abuse and pathological gambling, 213 members of Gamblers Anonymous, 384 university students, and 152 hospital employees. Independent validation by family members and counselors was obtained for the calibration sample, and internal consistency and test-retest reliability were established. The instrument correlates well with the criteria of the revised version of DSM-III (DSM-III-R). It offers a convenient means to screen clinical populations of alcoholics and drug abusers, as well as general populations, for pathological gambling.

/pdf/the-south-oaks-gambling-screen-sogs-a-new-instrument-for-the-s9ngof0vo9.pdf

The South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS): a new instrument for the identification of pathological gamblers

Impulsivity as a vulnerability marker for substance-use disorders: Review of findings from high-risk research, problem gamblers and genetic association studies

Understanding the changes in the brain which occur in the transition from normal to addictive behavior has major implications in public health. Here we postulate that while reward circuits (nucleus accumbens, amygdala), which have been central to theories of drug addiction, may be crucial to initiate drug self-administration, the addictive state also involves disruption of circuits involved with compulsive behaviors and with drive. We postulate that intermittent dopaminergic activation of reward circuits secondary to drug self-administration leads to dysfunction of the orbitofrontal cortex via the striato-thalamo-orbitofrontal circuit. This is supported by imaging studies showing that in drug abusers studied during protracted withdrawal, the orbitofrontal cortex is hypoactive in proportion to the levels of dopamine D2 receptors in the striatum. In contrast, when drug abusers are tested shortly after last cocaine use or during drug-induced craving, the orbitofrontal cortex is hypermetabolic in proportion to the intensity of the craving. Because the orbitofrontal cortex is involved with drive and with compulsive repetitive behaviors, its abnormal activation in the addicted subject could explain why compulsive drug self-administration occurs even with tolerance to the pleasurable drug effects and in the presence of adverse reactions. This model implies that pleasure per se is not enough to maintain compulsive drug administration in the drugaddicted subject and that drugs that could interfere with the activation of the striato-thalamo-orbitofrontal circuit could be beneficial in the treatment of drug addiction.

Addiction, a Disease of Compulsion and Drive: Involvement of the Orbitofrontal Cortex

Pathological Gambling: Etiology, Comorbidity, and Treatment examines the prevalence and consequences of problem gambling as well as approaches to treatment. In this comprehensive book, Petry clarifies the current understanding of gambling as a disorder, including its levels of intensity; possible origins in biological, neurological, developmental, and environmental spheres; and special issues surrounding populations that seem to be more susceptible to problem gambling, including youth, ethnic minorities, and those with comorbid affective disorders such as depression. The author reviews treatments commonly used for pathological gambling as well as nonprofessionally guided interventions such as Gamblers Anonymous. Petry then presents her own brief cognitive-behavioral approach, whose success is empirically proven in the largest known study of psychosocial treatments of problem gamblers. Pathological Gambling presents a review of everything currently known about problem gambling as well as promising treatment approaches, making it an invaluable, comprehensive resource for both therapists and researchers in the field.

https://jgi.camh.net/index.php/jgi/article/download/3786/3776

Pathological Gambling: Etiology, Comorbidity, and Treatment

https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:11000/cpr2272002.pdf

Pathological gambling. A comprehensive review.

Clinical impressions and psychological testing suggest that pathological gamblers demonstrate a high incidence of affective disorders. To assess the frequency of such disorders, the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia was administered to 50 patients admitted successively to the gambling treatment program of a VA hospital. Seventy-six percent of the subjects were diagnosed as having major depressive disorder and 38% as having hypomanic disorder according to the Research Diagnostic Criteria. The patients with major depressive disorder and one patient with schizoaffective disorder, depressed type, were significantly more likely to miss work often due to gambling. A large number of patients displayed suicidal tendencies.

Affective disorders among pathological gamblers seeking treatment.

Patterns of substance abuse in pathological gamblers undergoing treatment

Pathological gamblers entering a comprehensive treatment program were thoroughly assessed before treatment and 6 months after completion of treatment. The reports of gamblers and collateral informants were highly consistent. Follow-up interviews were conducted with 57 of the 66 patients entering treatment. Total abstinence was reported by 56% (N = 32) of the patients located for follow-up, and significant improvement on a wide range of measures was documented. The authors feel that the results demonstrate that pathological gambling is a treatable mental disorder.

Follow-up of pathological gamblers after treatment.

In 1972 the Brecksville Unit of the Cleveland Veterans Administnation Medical Center began the first inpatient treatment program for pathological gambling in the United States. The 30-day, highly structured gambling treatment program aims for abstinence from gambling, reduction of the urge to gamble, and restonation of a maximum level of social functioning. The authors report the results of a preliminary outcome study of 60 former patients who completed a survey form rating various aspects of their lives one year postdischange. Fifty-five percent of the nespondents reported complete abstinence from gambling since dischange. Chi-square analyses demonstrated significant relationships between abstinence from gambling and improved interpensonal relationships, better financial status, decreased depression, and participation in professional aftercare and Gamblers Anonymous. The authors believe that their initial results support the contention that pathological gambling is a treatable disorder.

Julian I. Taber

Papers

Affective disorders among pathological gamblers seeking treatment.

Patterns of substance abuse in pathological gamblers undergoing treatment

Follow-up of pathological gamblers after treatment.

An outcome study of an inpatient treatment program for pathological gamblers.

Attributional style in pathological gamblers in treatment.