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The National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG) is pleased to announce that we are now approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. We are very excited for this new accreditation option! This achievement enhances the NCRG’s ability to offer advanced training, webinars and workshops on gambling addiction to the APA’s more than 154,000 members.

Organizations approved by the APA to provide continuing education opportunities must pass a rigorous review by the APA’s 14-member Continuing Education Committee to ensure that the highest level of quality is maintained in program planning, management and delivery. Participants who took part in yesterday’s NCRG webinar session “CollegeGambling.org: A New Resource for Campus Professionals” are eligible for one hour of continuing education credit through the APA. This new approval will also be available for the 12^thannual NCRG Conference on Gambling and Addiction from October 2 – 4, 2011 in Las Vegas, Nev., upcoming 2011 NCRG Webinar Series and regional treatment provider workshops that will be announced in the coming weeks.

Glenn Christenson, chairman of the NCRG, is also very excited about this development. He said:

“The APA’s approval of the NCRG as a continuing education sponsor will allow the NCRG to assist and train more psychologists and other treatment providers with programs based on the highest quality, peer-reviewed research on pathological and problem gambling. It is a tremendous opportunity for the NCRG to further fulfill its mission to encourage the application of new research findings to improve prevention, diagnostic, intervention and treatment strategies.”

Stay tuned for more information about trainings and workshops that will be announced for 2011. Make sure you subscribe to theGambling Disorders 360blog by typing in your email address into the submission box on the right column of this page. You can also follow the NCRG onFacebookorTwitterfor the latest news and information about the NCRG!

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Last week, the American Psychological Association (APA) sponsored a“Mental Health Blog Party”where they encouraged everyone to blog about what mental health means to them, either as individuals or mental health professionals. More than 130 blogs were posted and more than 500 people participated on Twitter (hashtag#mhblogday), with topics ranging from depression and bipolar disorder to advising parents on how to talk to their children about drug and alcohol abuse. One concept that resonated throughout the wide variety of topics was the public’s misperception and stigma associated with mental health issues. The same is true for the field of gambling disorders. Even though pathological gambling was not addressed by any blogger for the APA’s blog party, we believe it is important for it to be a part of the conversation.

Rates of those who have experienced gambling disorders are often questioned, even though researchers have published their findings in high-quality peer-reviewed publications about this matter. In a 1999 report, the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences confirmed Harvard Medical School’s Division on Addictions results that the prevalence of pathological gambling in the U.S. adult population is approximately 1 percent. (National Research Council, 1999). In 2008, researchers from the Harvard Medical School Department of Health Care Policy found that the lifetime prevalence rate of 0.7 percent for pathological gambling and 2.3 percent for problem gambling (Kessler et. al., 2008).

The debate over whether or not pathological gambling is a chronic disorder is also somewhat confusing for the general public and media. Recent research suggests that pathological gambling may not necessarily become more severe over the years. Some individuals may improve or worsen over time, all depending on their level of gambling disorder (LaPlante, D.A. et all, 2008).

Another misperception happens when pathological gambling is viewed as its own singular battle and not connected to other mental health issues. As with all other addictive behaviors, people who struggle with gambling problems tend to have other psychological problems such as depression or anxiety. Because of this fact, it is difficult to separate the two or determine if one disorder has more influence over another. The Harvard Medical School’s Department of Health Care Policy discovered that those with any psychiatric disorder are 17.4 times more likely to develop pathological gambling than those without such problems. This result was from the researchers’ analysis of the National Comorbidity Survey Republication (NCS-R), a landmark study of mental health in America that conducted face-to-face interviews with 9,982 individuals (Kessler et. al., 2008).

Regardless of commonly held beliefs about gambling disorders, it is critically important to weigh the misperceptions and stigmas of the disorder against empirical and published research on the matter. As theNational Association of Mental Illness, Massachusetts Chapterblogged, “the stigma ends when we end it.” The NCRG will be a part of the next large gathering of mental health professionals and bloggers, helping to facilitate the conversation about gambling disorders and assist an understanding of the research that is available.

Do you have a comment or question about pathological gambling, it’s comorbidity with other mental health issues or just general resource needs for the NCRG team? Leave us a comment below or connect with us onFacebookorTwitter!

References

Kessler, R.C., Hwang, I., LaBrie, R.A., Petukhova, M., Sampson, N.A., Winters, K.C., & Shaffer, H.J. (2008).DSM-IVpathological gambling in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication [Electronic Version].Psychological Medicine,1-10. Advance online publication. Retrieved February 7, 2008. Doi:10.1017/S0033291708002900.)

LaPlante, D.A., Nelson, S.E., LaBrie, R.A., & Shaffer, H.J. (2008). Stability and progression of disordered gambling: Lessons from longitudinal studies.The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 53,52-60.

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Did you know that the National Center for Responsible Gaming hasallocated more than $700,000to fund research that advances our understanding about gambling disorders in 2011? The last opportunities to apply for this year’s funding are quickly approaching. Start planning to submit your letter of intent for Large Grants and Early Stage Investigator Grants before the July 1, 2011 deadline.

Large Grants

The Large Grants program provides up to two years of support for discrete, specified, circumscribed research projects related to gambling disorders. Applicants may request up to $75,000 in direct costs per year for a period not to exceed 24 months. The NCRG expects to award two Large Grants in this funding cycle.

Last year’s awardees are doing fascinating research. Dr. Matthew P. Martens (who will be a featured speaker during the NCRG Webinar on June 1, 2011) is testing a personalized feedback-only intervention for “at-risk” college students to see if the feedback information will influence their gambling behavior. Dr. John Nyman is studying the differentiating factors between people who are recreational gamblers with no gambling-related problems and people who are pathological gamblers.

To apply, download thegrant announcementandapplication form. Submit your letter of intent by July 1, 2011.

Early Stage Investigator Grants

The Early Stage Investigator Grants program is intended to help ensure that a pool of highly trained scientists is available to address the research needs of the field of gambling disorders. Eligible applicants are within 10 years of completing their terminal research degree or within 10 years of completing medical residency. Applicants may request up to $65,000 in direct costs for a period not to exceed 24 months.

Applications for this award must propose a research plan that:

1. Has intrinsic research importance in the area of prevention and treatment of gambling disorders, and
2. Will serve as a suitable vehicle for learning the methodology, theories and concepts needed for a well-trained, independent researcher in the area of gambling research.

To apply, download thegrant announcementandapplication form. Submit your letter of intent by July 1, 2011. The NCRG expects to award one Early Stage Investigator Grant in 2011.

For more information on the application process, please visit theNCRG Research Centeror contact Christine Reilly, Senior Research Director, atcreilly@ncrg.org. You can also find examples of previously funded studies on ourFunded Project Grantspage.

Questions or comments? Leave them in the comments section below!

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Exploring New Trends in Recovery, Research and Responsible Gaming
​Sept. 30 – Oct. 2, 2012
A redefinition of recovery, health care reform, an emerging minority population, new treatment approaches, the growth of online gambling – These trends directly impact the way we treat, prevent and study gambling disorders and responsible gaming. The evolving landscape makes this an exciting time and challenging for clinicians, public health workers, researchers, regulators and the gaming industry worldwide.  The 2012 NCRG Conference on Gambling and Addiction examined these topics by translating the most up-to-date research into practical applications for prevention, recovery, research and responsible gaming. Conference sessions addressed the latest changes in health care delivery systems, the science of recovery, the use of brief interventions, the impact of Internet gambling, public and private funding issues, ways to serve the cultural needs of minority populations and more.

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To understand pathological gambling (PG) one must understand the disorders that co-occur with PG. A 2005 study of more than 43,000 representative Americans found that people with PG often have other mental health disorders at the same time (called comorbid disorders). Examples of these include alcohol use disorders (73 percent), drug use disorders (38 percent), mood disorders (49 percent), anxiety disorders (41 percent) and personality disorders (60 percent) (N. M. Petry, Stinson, & Grant, 2005). While it is reasonable to hypothesize that genetic and environmental factors are both responsible for these co-occurrences, more research is necessary to learn how the two variables work together. One study that addresses these questions was recently published in theJournal of Affective Disorders(Giddens, Xian, Scherrer, Eisen, & Potenza, 2011). The study used data from 7,869 male twins to examine the relationship between PG and two anxiety disorders, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and panic disorder (PD).

The researchers examined data from the Vietnam Era Twin Registry (VET-R) collected in 1992. It is unusual for researchers to examine data that is this old because new and better instruments and sampling methods are now available. However, genetic contributions to disease can only be studied using data from monozygotic twins, twins with identical DNA. The difficulty of finding twins in the numbers necessary to do meaningful research requires researchers to use previously collected twin data, such as that from the VET-R. The researchers used statistical modeling to estimate the influence of genetics on the relationship between PG and GAD, and between PG and PD.

The data showed the existence of shared genetic contributions between PG, GAD, and PD. This suggests that there are specific genes that contribute to PG and anxiety disorders (possibly by influencing affect regulation or responsiveness to stress). In addition to this, the data showed that early life experiences did not affect how PG interacted with each anxiety disorder in the same way. Shared life experiences affected the development of PG and PD, while distinct experiences affected the development of PG and GAD. This finding suggests that while the co-occurrence of PG and both anxiety disorders is caused in part by genetic factors, the two anxiety disorders are influenced by different environmental factors. These findings would benefit from further study, as well as twin studies that include women and younger people in their samples.

More information about the article is available on the website of theJournal of Affective Disorders. Are you surprised by these findings? Let us know in the Comments section below.

References

Giddens, J. L., Xian, H., Scherrer, J. F., Eisen, S. A., & Potenza, M. N. (2011). Shared genetic contributions to anxiety disorders and pathological gambling in a male population.Journal of Affective Disorders. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2011.03.008

Petry, N. M., Stinson, F. S., & Grant, B. F. (2005). Comorbidity of DSM-IV pathological gambling and other psychiatric disorders: results from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions.J Clin Psychiatry,66(5), 564-74.

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