Stating that the need for relaxation increases during the pandemic period when anxiety is high, experts draw attention to the increase in gambling addiction with the decrease in risk perception during this period. Experts state that women gamble to escape from problems, while men gamble more for thrill-seeking.
Üsküdar University NPISTANBUL Hospital Psychiatry Specialist Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gül Eryılmaz pointed out that the pandemic process fueled gambling addiction as it increased all addictions.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gül Eryılmaz said that gambling disorder is defined as persistent and recurrent unwanted gambling behaviors characterized by the inability to control gambling behavior in a way that disrupts the individual, family or professional functionality of the person.
Risk perception decreased during the pandemic
Stating that the pandemic process increased all addictions, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gül Eryılmaz said, "The need for relaxation increased in this period when people socialize in digital environments and anxiety is high. At the same time, thoughts such as 'Anyway, life is a risk, I can die' reduced the perception of risk and loss anxiety. Therefore, there was an increase in gambling behavior during this period. We do not have epidemiological studies on this, but this is a clinical observation."
There is a genetic predisposition to gambling
Noting that there are thought to be several factors in the development of addiction in studies on gambling addiction, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gül Eryılmaz said, "One of these is genetic predisposition. It is known that some genetic factors from family members constitute a risk factor for gambling addiction."
Gambling addiction is more common in men
Pointing out that there are many other risk factors in gambling addiction, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gül Eryılmaz said, "At the same time, in many studies, sociodemographic characteristics such as male gender, young age, region of residence, low socioeconomic status and factors such as the onset of gambling activities at an early age, psychiatric comorbidity, adverse childhood experiences, gambling and substance family history have been identified as risk factors for gambling addiction. In gender studies, the lifetime prevalence of gambling addiction was found to be higher in men than in women."
Addiction transfer can be experienced
Stating that gambling addiction can occur after some neurological diseases or stomach reduction operations, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gül Eryılmaz said:
"Interestingly, gambling addiction occurs in some neurological diseases such as Parkinson's disease and after some drugs that affect the neurosystem. Likewise, today, stomach reduction surgery methods are increasingly used in the treatment of obesity. Psychiatric complications can be seen after surgery. After successful weight loss surgery, clinicians have reported that some patients stop overeating and instead develop alcohol, drug or gambling addiction. This phenomenon has been termed addiction transfer."
Age of onset of gambling has fallen
Stating that gambling addiction is emerging at earlier and earlier ages, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gül Eryılmaz stated that the ease of gambling with the widespread use of the internet is the most important risk factor and warned, "At the same time, the acceleration of life in the new world order and the increase in reward addiction also contribute to this factor."
Women play to escape from problems, men play for excitement
Noting that the prevalence of gambling addiction is reported to be between 0.1-2.7% for adults in limited research conducted in Turkey, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gül Eryılmaz said that the problem of gambling addiction in men is higher than in women.
Gambling addiction is also increasing in women
Referring to the reasons why men have more gambling problems, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gül Eryılmaz said the following
"Firstly, women's social access to gambling or gambling places may be limited. Interestingly, over the past decade, gambling has become socially acceptable for women. Past gambling venues such as racetracks, sports arenas and betting shops were more masculine and generally less attractive to women. Now there are more legal and accessible places to gamble, such as casinos, hotel bars and restaurant lounges. Thus, a large body of scientific evidence shows that female gambling is on the rise and that men and women have different gambling behaviors and experience specific gambling-related harms. Another reason is the limitations of the studies and methodological problems. Women are generally avoidant, that is, they gamble to escape from problems, while men are more likely to be thrill-seekers."
Pay attention to these symptoms in gambling addiction
Stating that gambling addiction can be understood with some symptoms, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gül Eryılmaz listed these symptoms as follows:
- Continuous mental preoccupation with gambling and increasingly spending time on gambling and mental preoccupation.
- Unsuccessful efforts to control, reduce or stop gambling.
- Lying and using illegal means to get the money needed to gamble.
- Inability to manage money, time and relationships.
Expert support is essential for gambling addiction
Stating that in gambling addiction, it will prevent future problems if the person or the family receives psychological counseling from a specialist about this situation, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gül Eryılmaz said, "Even if the person does not receive professional support, it will be an important step of the treatment for families to receive it. What families do in the treatment process is as important as medication and therapy. Families should first get individual support for their burnout. They should not blame themselves and they are not alone. They should not pay debts that may arise due to gambling and get financial counseling if necessary. Psychologically, they can also get help from family therapists to examine family dynamics and family communication patterns."
