How to Diagnose Compulsive Gambling
Go see your doctor or therapist., Be honest with your doctor., Anticipate answering questions about your gambling., Take the DSM-5 diagnostic test., Consider the severity of your gambling disorder., Find out what type of gambling disorder you have...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Go see your doctor or therapist.
If you think you may have a gambling problem, you should go see your doctor or a mental health professional.
If you do not have a therapist, then talking to your primary care physician can help you get some information and a general diagnosis.
Then, your doctor can refer you to a mental health professional.You will need to see an addiction specialist or a mental health professional who specializes in gambling addictions.
The treatment of your gambling addiction will be managed under the care of a mental health professional, who will use various behavioral therapies and other techniques to help you overcome your addiction. -
Step 2: Be honest with your doctor.
When you go see your doctor or your mental health professional, you should be honest.
You will not be able to receive the help you need if you do not tell your doctor all the information he or she needs.
You should tell your doctor about your life, including major changes that may have triggered your gambling.You should also share your feelings with your doctor.
Things that may not seem related to you may be connected to your gambling problem.
Tell your doctor about any triggers that cause your gambling.
A trigger is a sight, sound, smell, feel, or taste stimulus that causes you to want to gamble.
Sights and sounds are the most common types of triggers.For example, you may identify your triggers as seeing a commercial or billboard for a casino, seeing people playing cards, watching a lottery drawing, hearing the sound of jingling change, smelling cigarette smoke, etc.
Tell your doctor about the medications you take, including vitamins, herbs, or supplements. , When you see a doctor or mental health professional, he or she will ask you a lot of questions pertaining to your gambling.
You should answer all these questions as honestly as you can.
Remember, the goal of seeing a doctor is to cure your gambling addiction, which starts with admitting your problem and being honest.Your doctor may ask when you first started gambling, how many times a week you gamble, and if you have tried to quit gambling before.
Your doctor may also ask about how much money you usually bet and if you have ever bet material things instead of money.
Your doctor may ask about your relationships with your family and friends.
Your doctor will probably also ask you if you are serious about treating your gambling problem. , Only a mental health professional can diagnose you with a gambling disorder, so it is important for you to seek help.
A mental health professional may diagnose you with a gambling disorder after giving you a diagnostic test.
If you meet the criteria on the DSM-5 test, you will be diagnosed with a gambling disorder.
You must have four or more of the listed criteria in a 12-month period to be diagnosed.
The criteria includes:
The need to gamble more with more money for more excitement Inability to stop or limit gambling due to feelings of frustration or irritability, or inability to stop or limit gambling when trying Obsessive thoughts of gambling or ways to get money Tries to win back money after losing large sums Lies to family and friends, or has damaged relationships, careers, or education due to gambling Has to borrow or steal money Behavior is not due to bipolar or manic episodes , After you have honestly answered the DSM-5 criteria test, you will be given a score.
Your score determines the severity of your gambling problem.
The severity of your gambling can help your mental health professional and you figure out the appropriate treatment plan.You have a mild gambling disorder if you meet four to five of the criteria.
You have a moderate gambling disorder if you meet six to seven criteria.
You have a severe gambling disorder if you meet eight to nine criteria. , The criteria and some additional information provided by you can help your mental health professional decide more specifically what kind of disorder you have.
For example, you may have episodic or persistent gambling.
If you have episodic gambling disorder, you meet the criteria on the DSM-5, but there are large stretches of time where you don’t gamble.
With persistent gambling disorder, you meet the criteria for a sustained, continuous amount of time.Your doctor may also determine if you are in remission.
Early remission means you haven’t met any criteria for three months, but you have in the last year.
Sustained remission means that no criteria has been met in over a year. , After you have been diagnosed with your specific gambling problem, you and your mental health professional can figure out a proper treatment plan for you.
Since gambling is an addiction, it is not easy to overcome and takes a lot of hard work and dedication on your part.
Though the chance for relapse is possible, if you stick with your treatment plan, you can overcome your addiction and regain your life.
Common treatment options for gambling disorders include:
Cognitive behavioral therapy.
This is where your doctor helps you change negative behavior patterns that lead to your gambling.
You will work on identifying triggers.
You will also learn healthier ways to deal with stress.
Support groups.
Gamblers Anonymous is a popular program that can be a helpful treatment for people with a gambling addiction. -
Step 3: Anticipate answering questions about your gambling.
-
Step 4: Take the DSM-5 diagnostic test.
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Step 5: Consider the severity of your gambling disorder.
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Step 6: Find out what type of gambling disorder you have.
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Step 7: Undergo treatment.
Detailed Guide
If you think you may have a gambling problem, you should go see your doctor or a mental health professional.
If you do not have a therapist, then talking to your primary care physician can help you get some information and a general diagnosis.
Then, your doctor can refer you to a mental health professional.You will need to see an addiction specialist or a mental health professional who specializes in gambling addictions.
The treatment of your gambling addiction will be managed under the care of a mental health professional, who will use various behavioral therapies and other techniques to help you overcome your addiction.
When you go see your doctor or your mental health professional, you should be honest.
You will not be able to receive the help you need if you do not tell your doctor all the information he or she needs.
You should tell your doctor about your life, including major changes that may have triggered your gambling.You should also share your feelings with your doctor.
Things that may not seem related to you may be connected to your gambling problem.
Tell your doctor about any triggers that cause your gambling.
A trigger is a sight, sound, smell, feel, or taste stimulus that causes you to want to gamble.
Sights and sounds are the most common types of triggers.For example, you may identify your triggers as seeing a commercial or billboard for a casino, seeing people playing cards, watching a lottery drawing, hearing the sound of jingling change, smelling cigarette smoke, etc.
Tell your doctor about the medications you take, including vitamins, herbs, or supplements. , When you see a doctor or mental health professional, he or she will ask you a lot of questions pertaining to your gambling.
You should answer all these questions as honestly as you can.
Remember, the goal of seeing a doctor is to cure your gambling addiction, which starts with admitting your problem and being honest.Your doctor may ask when you first started gambling, how many times a week you gamble, and if you have tried to quit gambling before.
Your doctor may also ask about how much money you usually bet and if you have ever bet material things instead of money.
Your doctor may ask about your relationships with your family and friends.
Your doctor will probably also ask you if you are serious about treating your gambling problem. , Only a mental health professional can diagnose you with a gambling disorder, so it is important for you to seek help.
A mental health professional may diagnose you with a gambling disorder after giving you a diagnostic test.
If you meet the criteria on the DSM-5 test, you will be diagnosed with a gambling disorder.
You must have four or more of the listed criteria in a 12-month period to be diagnosed.
The criteria includes:
The need to gamble more with more money for more excitement Inability to stop or limit gambling due to feelings of frustration or irritability, or inability to stop or limit gambling when trying Obsessive thoughts of gambling or ways to get money Tries to win back money after losing large sums Lies to family and friends, or has damaged relationships, careers, or education due to gambling Has to borrow or steal money Behavior is not due to bipolar or manic episodes , After you have honestly answered the DSM-5 criteria test, you will be given a score.
Your score determines the severity of your gambling problem.
The severity of your gambling can help your mental health professional and you figure out the appropriate treatment plan.You have a mild gambling disorder if you meet four to five of the criteria.
You have a moderate gambling disorder if you meet six to seven criteria.
You have a severe gambling disorder if you meet eight to nine criteria. , The criteria and some additional information provided by you can help your mental health professional decide more specifically what kind of disorder you have.
For example, you may have episodic or persistent gambling.
If you have episodic gambling disorder, you meet the criteria on the DSM-5, but there are large stretches of time where you don’t gamble.
With persistent gambling disorder, you meet the criteria for a sustained, continuous amount of time.Your doctor may also determine if you are in remission.
Early remission means you haven’t met any criteria for three months, but you have in the last year.
Sustained remission means that no criteria has been met in over a year. , After you have been diagnosed with your specific gambling problem, you and your mental health professional can figure out a proper treatment plan for you.
Since gambling is an addiction, it is not easy to overcome and takes a lot of hard work and dedication on your part.
Though the chance for relapse is possible, if you stick with your treatment plan, you can overcome your addiction and regain your life.
Common treatment options for gambling disorders include:
Cognitive behavioral therapy.
This is where your doctor helps you change negative behavior patterns that lead to your gambling.
You will work on identifying triggers.
You will also learn healthier ways to deal with stress.
Support groups.
Gamblers Anonymous is a popular program that can be a helpful treatment for people with a gambling addiction.
About the Author
Kelly Gonzalez
Enthusiastic about teaching organization techniques through clear, step-by-step guides.
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