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Aug 31, 2021, 03:22 AM
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Member Since: Dec 2018
Location: New Jersey
Posts: 6,008
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TimTheEnchanter
I have decided to join gamblers Anonymous because if I did not have enough mental or physical health issues it turns out I am also a degenerate gambler.
This year I have lost $60,000 and in my lifetime maybe $250,000 altogether in the forms of Poker, day trading, stock investing, etc.
Recently I am only in the stock market but I had a disastrous year in 2021, 2020 was not much better. I am 65 in December and my retirement account is not even at $100,000. If I live too long I will be truly poor.
The reason I am posting is not to seek sympathy but to draw the connection between bipolar and gambling and how the stock market can be addictive if one trades frequently.
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They also are apt to engage in compulsive gambling. People who are bipolar tend toward behaviors that include spending too much money on lottery tickets, spending hours in front of video poker machines, and taking frequent trips to casinos.
Connecting Bipolar Disorder to Gambling
Bipolar disorder causes extreme swings in a person's mood, energy levels, and ability to get things done. It's also known as manic-depressive illness, a name which reflects these swings in mood. Patients can be overexcited and filled with joy and purpose in a manic episode, and then suddenly swing into a depressive episode, becoming sad, joyless, and drained of energy.
Researchers have found that bipolar disorder and gambling addiction often occur together. Half of all gambling addicts in the United States also have a mood disorder, according to one national survey. A Canadian study found that people with bipolar disorder were more than twice as likely to have a gambling addiction as someone in the general population. Another study found that, among those surveyed, a mood disorder preceded gambling addiction in 80 percent of the women and 58 percent of the men.
Bipolar Disorder and Gambling: What Research Suggests
The exact nature of the link between gambling addiction and bipolar disorder has not been fully explained by researchers. Doctors and mental health professionals tend to believe that gambling addiction may be linked to the highs or lows associated with bipolar disorder:
People with depression use gambling to self-medicate. This theory holds that patients use gambling to help themselves feel better during a depressive phase. The rush associated with the risk of gambling may help them rise out of their depressive funk.
Gambling reflects the impulsive nature of a manic phase. People in the grips of a manic phase often have impulse control issues. They may engage in kleptomania or go on an eating binge. Some researchers believe gambling might serve as another outlet for impulsive behavior.
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Mental Health Problems Associated With Gambling
Pathological gambling has been associated with serious mental illnesses, sometimes as the cause and other times as the result of an untreated mental illness. Depression and anxiety are two of the most common mental illnesses associated with gambling addiction. Some hope that the roll of the dice or the spin of the slot machines can help them have some fun in life and help them relax. In reality, over time it often makes the depression and anxiety worse. Dr. Grant revealed that 76 percent of a gambling addiction treatment group suffered from depression. Astoundingly, 16 to 40 percent of pathological gamblers suffered from lifetime anxiety. For some, the pressure becomes too great. The risk of suicide is higher in gamblers than non-gamblers. Other mental illnesses associated with gambling are bipolar disorder and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Of a study group, 24 percent of pathological gamblers had a lifetime prevalence of bipolar disorder. Twenty percent had symptoms for a lifetime prevalence of ADHD. Dr. Grant stresses that when treating those with a gambling addiction, all of their disorders should be identified and prioritized for treatment. Through methods such as medication, cognitive behavioral therapy, and support those with gambling addiction can find healing and become a winner for life.
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Hey @ TimTheEnchanter i wanted to share some snippets from my "bipolar files" because even though mental illness and disorders like ADHD have well documented studies on the mental health/addiction connection- oftentimes the gambling and shopping addicts are put in the corner as if their addiction isnt real and that it was just their poor judgements and moral failings.
Check out the DSM info about "problem gambling"
__________________
"I carried a watermelon?"
President of the no F's given society.
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