The 7 types of pathological gambling (causes, symptoms and treatment)

We explain what forms gambling addiction can take, and its characteristics.

Although addictions are a serious problem, they do not all present themselves in the same way.. There are clear differences at the organic level if you are addicted to a substance, such as nicotine or cocaine, than if you are addicted to a certain behavior, such as shopping or gambling.

Gambling addiction, also called pathological gambling, is a problem that can manifest itself in a subtle way, either because society is not sufficiently sensitive to the problem or because of popular misconceptions.

Although talking about specific types of pathological gambling is somewhat complicated, it is possible to talk about types of gamblers and the risks of suffering from the disorder, and in this article we are going to focus on this.

• Recommended article: "The 14 most important types of addictions".

What is meant by pathological gambling?

Pathological gambling, also known as pathological gambling, is an impulse control disorder, is a disorder of impulse control, causing the sufferer to feel an enormous urge to gamble in games of chance, without being able to control himself/herself.without being able to control themselves. Gambling, which can be very large, causes the person to get into financial problems, taking out loans that he/she can hardly ever pay back.

Gambling becomes an addictive behavior, similar to the consumption of tobacco, alcohol or high-calorie food. Addiction causes pathological gamblers to spiral out of control, completely losing the ability to stop the behavior.

In the long run, the people who form part of the affected person's close environment become aware of the problem, and they are usually the ones who put pressure on the person to seek help and stop losing money. Most often, the problem gambler denies that he or she has a problem, saying that it is just a bad patch and that eventually he or she will be able to earn enough money to pay what is owed.

Types of pathological gambling (and its symptoms)

As with all psychological disorders there are as many types of pathological gambling as there are types of people.The symptoms are closely related to the individual's own personality characteristics. However, it is true that there are profiles of gamblers who are more prone to suffer from this disorder of impulse control compared to others.

We will now take a look at all the types of gamblers that exist, we will see all the types of gamblers that exist, what is their risk of suffering from pathological gambling and, in particular, what is the specific profile of what is considered to be a pathological gambler academically speaking.

1. Professional gambler

This type of gamer is characterized by making the game something that is part of his life, as if it were a profession.as if it were a profession. In one way or another, they have developed effective strategies to achieve winnings in gambling.

The professional gambler is a person who has a high tolerance to frustration, patience, intelligence and self-control. They act in a very well thought out way to ensure that they do not blow their winnings.

Although gambling is something very common in his life, this profile of gambler does not usually have the characteristics of a gambler, since people who suffer from an addiction usually act impulsively and not very rationally.

2. Casual social gambler

This is the person who dedicates time to a game of chance in a very punctual way, simply to entertain himself by being with other peoplewhile enjoying the activity.

This type of person would correspond to someone who wants to spend the afternoon playing poker with friends at work, or playing slots while waiting for their order to be delivered at the bar.

They play to pass the time, relieve stress and socialize, not to have high winnings.

The most outstanding characteristics of this gambler profile are that his self-esteem is not influenced by the outcome of the bets, he considers other aspects of life as much more important and the winnings and losses are usually moderate.

3. Serious social gambler

In contrast to the previous gambler profile, the serious social gambler devotes several hours to gambling not for entertainment, but rather as a mechanism to cope with day-to-day problems and the stress they generate. and the stress they generate.

The serious social gambler invests a significant amount of money and a large part of his free time in gambling, which can lead to problems at the family, social and work levels.

This profile, although not considered pathological in itself, is susceptible to evolve into a real gambling addiction.

4. Gambler with an escape-relief strategy

In most cases, addictions arise as an ineffective mechanism to cope with emotional problems or to fill a sentimental void..

Gamblers with an escape-relief strategy use gambling in a similar way to serious social gamblers, but with the particularity that gambling is the only mechanism they know to cope with depression, anxiety and stress.

This type of profile, which acts impulsively, is characterized by a tendency to win virtually never. This is because when they gamble they are in an emotional state too intense to be able to think rationally.

Their judgment and decision-making capacity is greatly impaired by the high emotionality they are experiencing, tending to gamble high amounts and without thinking about the possible consequences.

Losing a lot of money is something that, in the long run, contributes to an increase in negative emotions, especially stress and depression. Thus, this profile is the type that can evolve into a gambling addiction.

5. Conservative gambler

This profile is somewhat peculiar because, although there is a risk of degenerating into a problematic situation, the fact is that in the case of the conservative gambler, he/she will play more for the experience than for winning money..

Whether out of curiosity or simply because they want to feel the thrill of winning something, these players enter the world of gambling simply to see what happens.

Actually, it is very rare that a person with this profile ends up being a textbook gambler.

6. Antisocial gambler

The antisocial gambler receives this name due to the fact that he enters into illegal areas, such as gambling, betting, gambling, gambling, etc.such as gambling, tricked dice, cockfighting or any other event that implies a crime.

The antisocial gambler has the clear intention of winning, however, a large amount of money, even if it means harming others, lying, cheating, stealing or hurting others.

Although their relationship with gambling does not necessarily have to be pathological in itself, the antisocial gambler may manifest personality traits and other vital aspects that require treatment in psychological therapy.

7. Compulsive gambler

Compulsive gamblers put aside their whole life and are controlled by gambling and the desire to win money.. This is the clearest profile of a person with compulsive gambling, or, in case it is not yet the case, they have a huge risk of developing it.

Many of them will not want to admit that gambling has ended up controlling them, this being a first symptom of a real gambling addiction.

In addition to spending too much time gambling, those who are aware of the problem may try to quit on their own, without success. They also set themselves a limit of money not to exceed, but they almost never respect it and end up exceeding it.

They get carried away by their emotions and, whether they lose or win, the desire to continue gambling increases.

Despite the economic problems involved in losing large amounts of money, as well as family tensions and interference in work life, they do not stop the behavior.

They constantly live in the gambler's fallacy, a superstitious thinking, believing that all the losses that have been given make them increase the chances of winning in the next game or game.

Bibliographic references:

• American Psychiatric Association (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing.
• Black, D.; Shaw, M. (2008). Psychiatric Comorbidity Associated With Pathological Gambling. Psychiatric Times. 25 (12).