June 2000
A call comes into the Problem Gambling Helpline from a husband who describes his wife's battle with depression over the years and her current gambling problem. Then it's a call from a son who is concerned about his father's drinking and gambling. Later a call comes from a recovering alcoholic with over 10 years of sobriety who is gambling out of control.
These kinds of calls are not unusual. The co-morbidity of gambling with other mental health or substance abuse problems is very common. The "Evaluation of Minnesota State-Funded Compulsive Gambling Treatment Programs" in 1997 reported that 56 percent of the gambling treatment client population with SOGS scores > 5 had received previous services for mental health treatment, chemical dependency treatment or a combination of both.
It is increasingly important for gambling, substance abuse, and mental health treatment programs to be alert to these issues of co-morbidity. In this issue, Deb Ellison-Culver addresses co-morbidity of mental health issues in treatment for pathological gambling.
The relationship between chemical dependency and pathological gambling was addressed in an earlier edition of Beyond the Odds.
Also included in this edition is information on two brief screening tools for problem gambling that clinicians with limited time can ask.
In This Issue
Gambling Problems Resource Center
2720 Highway 10
Mounds View, MN 55112
