Gambling involves wagering money or other things of value on an event with random, uncertain outcomes. It usually requires three elements: consideration, risk and a prize. Many forms of gambling involve activities that require skill, such as card games and sports betting.
Some people may be able to stop gambling on their own, but others need help. Some people have serious problems that require inpatient treatment, such as those whose addiction interferes with their daily functioning or causes financial ruin. Others have mild problems that can be addressed with outpatient care, such as individual or family therapy. Some treatment programs use cognitive behavioral therapy, which teaches people to recognize and resist irrational thoughts and behaviors.
While there is some debate about whether gambling is an impulse control disorder, the psychiatric community has established that pathological gambling meets most of the criteria in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). Like other disorders classified as impulse-control disorders, such as kleptomania, pyromania and trichotillomania (hair-pulling), it is characterized by the inability to control the behavior despite significant impairment or distress.
A person with an addiction to gambling often experiences difficulty realizing that their problem is serious and seeks to minimise it or deny its severity. They may hide their activity from friends and family, or lie to them about it. They are often preoccupied with the idea of gambling and have trouble concentrating on other activities. They may also be irritable or restless when trying to reduce their gambling or prevent it from occurring.