ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is investigate the clinical characteristics and the change of depression and anxiety in pathological gamblers who completed 10-week admission treatment programs. METHODS: To investigate the clinical characteristics, we included 40 pathological gamblers who completed admission treatment programs from Jan 2006 to Jun 2010. To measure the change through treatment, we included 16 patients who completed pre-treatment and post-treatment assessment scales, including the Korean-National Opinion Research Center DSM-IV Screen for Gambling Problems (K-NODS), Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI), and the State-trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), from May 2008 to Aug 2008. RESULTS: Mean age of the patients was 42.9+/-9.0 years and mean intelligent quotient was 109.7+/-10.4. Thirty (75%) patients showed comorbid disorders, including depression (14 patients, 35%), anxiety disorder (five patients, 12.5%), alcohol use disorder (five patients, 12.5%), and personality disorder (four patients, 10%). After treatment, K-NODS, BDI, STAI-I, and STAI-II scores showed improvement, from 9.1+/-1.5 to 7.6+/-2.7, from 23.5+/-5.8 to 11.1+/-3.2, from 52.6+/-10.3 to 41.9+/-7.1, and from 53.7+/-10.6 to 46.0+/-4.4, respectively. CONCLUSION: In treatment of pathological gambling, comorbid psychiatric risk factors, such as depression and anxiety should be considered.