026-2027 | On-Demand Sessions | Hour 1: Gambling Disorder: Diagnosis, Assessment, and Treatment in Addiction Medicine & Hour 2: Hour 2: Dayton Street Medicine: Collaborative and Trauma-Informed Care in a Fentanyl Epicenter | September 2026-Gambling Disorder: Screening, Diagnosis, and Management Recording

Video Transcription

Video Summary

The session focused on gambling disorder as a behavioral addiction, covering its history, neurobiology, epidemiology, risk factors, diagnosis, screening, and treatment. Presenters explained how gambling disorder was formally recognized in DSM-5 as part of substance-related and addictive disorders, reflecting evidence that gambling activates the brain’s reward pathways similarly to substances. They reviewed DSM-5 diagnostic criteria, including tolerance-like behavior, withdrawal-like irritability, loss of control, preoccupation, chasing losses, and continued gambling despite harm.<br /><br />A case example illustrated severe gambling disorder with financial, legal, occupational, and relational consequences. The talk highlighted high-risk groups such as younger adults, men, people with mental illness or substance use disorders, veterans, and those with trauma or low socioeconomic status. Gambling disorder is also associated with suicide risk, making routine suicide screening essential.<br /><br />The second half reviewed assessment tools like the PGSI, NODS, Lie/Bet, BBGS, South Oaks Gambling Screen, and Y-BOCS adapted for gambling. For treatment, CBT was emphasized as the first-line, best-supported approach. Medications are off-label and adjunctive; naltrexone has the strongest though still limited evidence. Peer support resources such as Gamblers Anonymous and the National Problem Gambling Helpline were also discussed, along with special considerations for veterans and older adults.

Keywords

gambling disorder

behavioral addiction

DSM-5

neurobiology

diagnostic criteria

screening tools

cognitive behavioral therapy

naltrexone

suicide risk