People with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) may be more susceptible to gambling disorders. That’s according to a meta-analysis published this week by the Italian psychology journal State of Mind.
As clinical psychologist Seila Mainardis explains, there is not only a striking correlation between ADHD and gambling addiction, but also a potential causality. Some of the typical ADHD symptoms favor the development of a gambling addiction.
ADHD symptoms could promote gambling addiction
attention deficit
One of the main symptoms, which is often very pronounced, is lack of attention. Those affected are easily distracted and react to strong stimuli. In contrast to everyday or professional activities, particularly stimulating activities enabled those affected to “stay on task” for longer periods of time. One such particularly stimulating activity can be gambling, particularly on slot machines with their distinctive flashing colored lights and haunting sounds.
hyperactivity
Another classic ADHD characteristic is hyperactivity. While this often presents itself in children as a strong urge to move, it often causes excessive exercise in adults. The adults also felt an inner restlessness that could only be eliminated by being distracted with strong stimuli.
impulsiveness
Both of these symptoms led to the third key characteristic of ADHD: impulsivity. In order to free themselves from the unpleasant feelings of inner restlessness and understimulation, ADHD sufferers often acted thoughtlessly and impulsively. Studies have shown that gambling can activate the reward center in the human brain. The end of the game therefore experiences an immediate “redemption” of his negative feelings. The impulsiveness caused by ADHD is therefore a particularly high risk of gambling addiction.
Relevant for gambling addiction therapy
Despite many individual studies on gambling and ADHD, there is no clear data on how many pathological gamblers also have ADHD. However, a study has shown that problem gamblers and problem gamblers with ADHD often develop problem gambling behavior at a significantly younger age than problem gamblers who do not have ADHD.
As Maindardis explains in conclusion, further targeted studies are required on the subject. However, based on the existing data, it is advisable to Gambling Addiction Treatments to carry out a possible comparison with ADHD symptoms.
According to the psychologist, some approaches to ADHD therapy could even help problem gamblers even if the person affected does not suffer from ADHD due to the similar characteristics of the disease.