Treatment Centers

A New Canadian study implicates that compulsive gamblers may be at risk for multiple personality disorders. Worse, the study shows that compulsive gamblers are three times more likely to commit suicide than non-gamblers. The results of the study were recently published in the journal Psychology of Addictive Behaviors.

Compulsive or pathological gambling is a form of problem gambling. It is the desire to gamble even in the face of negative consequences despite the urge to stop. These individuals have difficult time limiting money and/or time spent gambling which usually leads to problems for themselves or others. Interestingly enough, 12 percent of all gamblers have confessed to family or friends that they have lost $5000 in one day and a whopping 70 percent borrowed money to do so.

However, researchers at a Montreal university stated that it was the staggering numbers surrounding the suicide rate for compulsive gamblers that led them to explore the issue further. The World Health Organization claims that suicide ranks as one of the top tens leading causes of death for Westerners and says pathological gamblers make up at least 5 percent of those suicides.

Researchers wanted to examine the difference in suicide rates when comparing gamblers with non-gamblers. So, over the course of three years (2006-2009) they studied the deaths of 122 people who committed suicide, 49 of which were pathological gamblers. Data in the form of coroner records as well as interviews with the deceased’s family and friends were collected. The result of the study indicated that of those who committed suicide, gamblers exhibited twice as many personality disorders as other victims.

In other words, these personality disorders seem to be contributing to the higher rates of suicide found amongst compulsive gamblers. The problem is cyclical. Gamblers believe that gambling is the root cause for their financial problems and/or drug and alcohol addictions. But, the paradox is that they also see gambling as the way out. The mentality is that if they can just win, things will change. When, in reality, what they really need is professional help.

There are three elements acting together that represent a deadly combination for pathological gamblers – depression, an alcohol or drug problem and a personality disorder. When the person is depressed, he or she seeks substance abuse as a method of coping. This can lead to financial problems, which further intensifies the depression.

We as a society should be better trained to spot the warning signs of suicide so that we can be more responsive to those who may be considering it as an option. The hope is that these types of studies will help bring about better suicide prevention and awareness programs for those who are suffering. The sooner the diagnosis, the sooner that treatment can be implemented, increasing the chance for success.