Gambling disorder

Gambling disorder is a persistent pattern of gambling that causes significant distress or impairment, despite harmful consequences.

Variable-ratio schedule: A reinforcement schedule that rewards a response after an unpredictable number of attempts. Unpredictable wins can reinforce repeated gambling more persistently than predictable rewards.
DSM-5-TR: The American Psychiatric Association's diagnostic manual for mental disorders, text revision published in 2022. It defines diagnostic criteria and severity levels for gambling disorder.
Problem gambling: Gambling that causes harm or elevated risk without necessarily meeting diagnostic criteria for gambling disorder. The term can describe harmful gambling below the diagnostic threshold.
Problem gambling severity index: A nine-item questionnaire measuring gambling behavior and its consequences over the past year. It assesses gambling-related harms and risk without serving as a clinical diagnosis.
Near miss: An outcome that falls just short of success but is experienced as close to winning. Near misses can encourage continued play despite producing no actual reward.
ICD-11: The World Health Organization's international classification of diseases, adopted in 2019 and in effect from 2022. It classifies gambling disorder as a disorder due to addictive behaviours.
Gambling: Wagering money or something of value on an uncertain outcome. Gambling is the activity itself; disorder requires a persistent harmful pattern.
Suicide and gambling disorder: The association between gambling-related problems and suicidal thoughts, attempts, and deaths. Suicide risk is an urgent concern in clinical assessment of gambling-related harm.
Gambling craving: A strong urge or desire to gamble, often triggered by cues or emotional states. Craving helps explain why urges can persist after gambling has caused harm.
Cognitive behavioral therapy: A structured psychotherapy that addresses links among thoughts, emotions, and behavior. It is used to challenge gambling-related beliefs and change patterns that sustain harm.

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