Gambling addiction

Dr Sacrifice Chirisa Mental Health Matters
There are three newly recognised addiction psychiatric conditions namely:

• Gambling addiction
• Sex addiction
• Internet addiction

Most people with these addictions do not see it as a medical problem even though it is.

The short self-assessment outlined below will help individuals to see if they need help for the problem. This week, I will focus on gambling addiction and how to recognise it with a simple test below.

Answering the few questions below will take less than five minutes and will assist in revealing whether you are exhibiting the signs of an addiction to gambling.

Top of Form

Instructions: Below is a list of questions that relate to life experiences that are common among people with a gambling addiction.

Please read each question carefully, and indicate how often you have experienced the same or similar challenges in the past 12  months.

1. A) You spend lots of time thinking about gambling or planning a gambling activity?
2. Never
3. Rarely
4. Sometimes
5. Often
6. Very often
7. B) Do you need to gamble with increasing amounts of money to feel excited?
8. Never
9. Rarely
10. Sometimes
11. Often
12. Very often
13. C) Do you unsuccessfully try to cut back on your gambling?
14. Never
15. Rarely
16. Sometimes
17. Often
18. Very often
19. D) Do you feel irritable or restless when you try to limit your gambling?
20. Never
21. Rarely
22. Sometimes
23. Often
24. Very often
25. E) Do you lie to loved ones about your gambling habits?
26. Never
27. Rarely
28. Sometimes
29. Often
30. Very often
31. F) Has gambling interfered with your work, school, or relationships?
32. Never
33. Rarely
34. Sometimes
35. Often
36. Very often
37. G) Do you steal or engage in other illegal activities to retrieve gambling money?
38. Never
39. Rarely
40. Sometimes
41. Often
42. Very often
43. H) Do you have to ask others to bail you out of financial troubles due to gambling?
44. Never
45. Rarely
46. Sometimes
47. Often
48. Very often
49. I) Do you ever feel anxious, sad, or guilty about your gambling behaviors?
50. Never
51. Rarely
52. Sometimes
53. Often
54. Very often

By ticking the most appropriate answer on the above nine questions and adding the score on each question that is the number corresponding to the answer most appropriate.

If the total is equal or above 21 points, then there is a high possibility that gambling addiction is most likely.

With the massive proliferation of gambling houses and more people engaging in the activity the rise of this psychiatric condition is expected.

Dr Sacrifice Chirisa is a passionate mental health specialist at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals, one of the country’s major referral hospitals. He can be reached at [email protected]