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By Mayo Clinic staffIf you've made the choice to seek help for your gambling, you've taken a huge first step. Start by talking to your primary care doctor. If it seems that you have a serious problem, you'll likely be referred to a mental health provider for further evaluation and treatment. These suggestions can help you get the most from your appointments:
- Write down all the feelings you're experiencing, even if they seem unrelated to your problem. Be sure to note what triggers your gambling, whether you've tried to resist the urge to gamble, and the effect that gambling has had on your life.
- Write down key personal information, including any major stresses or recent life changes.
- Make a list of all medications, as well as any vitamins or supplements, that you're taking. Better yet, take the original bottles and a written list of the dosages and directions.
- Pathologic gambling. In: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM-IV-TR. 4th ed.: American Psychiatric Association;2000. http://www.psychiatryonline.com. Accessed Dec. 1, 2008.
- Questions and answers. Gamblers Anonymous. http://www.gamblersanonymous.org/qna.html. Accessed Dec. 1, 2008.
- Unwin BK, et al. Pathologic gambling. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Dec. 1, 2008.
- About problem gaming: FAQ. National Council on Problem Gaming. http://www.ncpgambling.org/about_problem/about_problem_faq.asp. Accessed Dec 1, 2008.
- Dodd ML, et al. Pathological gambling caused by drugs used to treat Parkinson disease. Archives of Neurology. 2005;62:1377.
- Unwin BK, et al. Pathologic gambling. American Family Physician. 2006;61(3):741.
- Compulsive gambling. Minnesota Department of Human Services. http://www.dhs.state.mn.us/main/idcplg?IdcService=GET_DYNAMIC_CONVERSION&RevisionSelectionMethod=LatestReleased&dDocName=id_008574. Accessed Dec.1, 2008.
- Grant JE. Gender differences in pathological gamblers seeking medication treatment. Comprehensive Psychiatry. 2002;43:56.
- Ibanez A, et al. Genetics of pathological gambling. Journal of Gambling Studies. 2003;19:11.
- Regard M, et al. Brain damage and addictive behavior: A neuropsychological and electroencephalogram investigation with pathologic gamblers. Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology. 2003;16:47.
- Kringelbach ML, et al. The functional neuroanatomy of the human orbitofrontal cortex: Evidence from neuroimaging and neuropsychology. Progress in Neurobiology. 2004;72:341.
