J Korean Neuropsychiatr Assoc.  2012 Nov;51(6):395-401.

The Clinical Characteristics of Pathological Gamblers Who Completed about 10 Weeks' Admission Treatment Programs : The Change of Depression and Anxiety after Treatment

• Choi YS
• Choi YS
• Kim SH
• Jung SY
• Son DS
• Shin HH

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
The purpose of this study is investigate the clinical characteristics and the change of depression and anxiety in pathological gamblers who completed 10-week admission treatment programs.
METHODS
To investigate the clinical characteristics, we included 40 pathological gamblers who completed admission treatment programs from Jan 2006 to Jun 2010. To measure the change through treatment, we included 16 patients who completed pre-treatment and post-treatment assessment scales, including the Korean-National Opinion Research Center DSM-IV Screen for Gambling Problems (K-NODS), Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI), and the State-trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), from May 2008 to Aug 2008.
RESULTS
Mean age of the patients was 42.9+/-9.0 years and mean intelligent quotient was 109.7+/-10.4. Thirty (75%) patients showed comorbid disorders, including depression (14 patients, 35%), anxiety disorder (five patients, 12.5%), alcohol use disorder (five patients, 12.5%), and personality disorder (four patients, 10%). After treatment, K-NODS, BDI, STAI-I, and STAI-II scores showed improvement, from 9.1+/-1.5 to 7.6+/-2.7, from 23.5+/-5.8 to 11.1+/-3.2, from 52.6+/-10.3 to 41.9+/-7.1, and from 53.7+/-10.6 to 46.0+/-4.4, respectively.
CONCLUSION
In treatment of pathological gambling, comorbid psychiatric risk factors, such as depression and anxiety should be considered.

Keyword

Pathological gambling; Admission treatment programs; Depression; Anxiety

MeSH Terms

Anxiety
Anxiety Disorders
Depression
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
Gambling
Humans
Personality Disorders
Risk Factors
Weights and Measures

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Change of gambling problems, depression and anxiety after treatment in the pathological gamblers. Measurements are shown as mean±SD and paired t-test was used for statistical analysis of changes before and after the treatment (*: p<0.05, **: p< 0.01). K-NODS : Korean-National Opinion Research Center DSM-IV Screen for Gambling Problems, BDI : Beck's Depression Inventory, STAI : State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, DSM-IV : Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition, SD : Standard deviation.

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