Gambling and Binge Eating Addiction

What are some similarities between gambling and substance use disorders

-both experience cravings

-both thoughts and behaviors correspond with the disorder as ego-syntonic (they experience pleasure and are good at justifying their behaviors)

-changes in brain neurotransmitters are similar

-have highs in response to gambling

-evidence that the same forms of treatment seem to be effective for both disorders

-studies have shown high rates of co-occurring substance use disorders with pathological gambling

what are some differences between pathological gambling and substance use disorders

-the hereditary part is unknown and hard to identify

define gambling

-placing something at value at risk in the hopes of gaining something of greater value

-common perceptions of gambling involve either high risk, fairly rapid outcomes, or both

what are the 3 types of gambling

1. recreational gambling

2. problem gambling

3. pathological gambling

What does BBGS stand for

brief biosocial gambling screen

what does BBGS do and how long is it

-help people decide whether to seek formal evaluation of their gambling behavior

-is a 3-item questionnaire

what are the 8 gambler’s cognitive distortions

1. attribution

2. magical thinking

3. superstitions

4. selective recall

5. systems

6. personification of a gambling device

7. near miss beliefs

8. chasing losses

what does attribution mean

-many problem gamblers believe that their winning is a direct result of their skill and efforts and cannot be attributed to random luck 

what does magical thinking mean

-many problem gamblers believe that thinking or hoping in a certain way will bring about a win or that random outcomes can be predicted

-they may also believe they are special in some way and that their specialness will be rewarded with a win 

what does superstitions mean

-many problem gamblers believe that lucky charms, talismans, or certain articles of clothing, ways of sitting, may cause a win or a loss 

what does selective recall

-many problem gamblers tend to remember their wins and forget or minimize their losses 

what does systems mean

-many problem gamblers may believe that by learning or figuring out a certain system (a pattern of betting in a particular way), the house advantage can be overcome 

-The development of computerized technologies has made it much more difficult to “predict” 

what does personification of a gambling device mean

-some problem gamblers attribute human characteristics to inanimate objects, which are part of the gambling process, thinking that a particular machine or game is punishing, rewarding or taunting them 

what does near miss beliefs mean

-some problem gamblers reduce the number of losing experiences in their minds by thinking they “almost” won

-this justifies further attempts to win. Near misses can be as stimulating, or even more stimulating, than actual wins 

what does chasing losses mean

-some problem gamblers believe that they have not really lost money to gambling, but that it can be “won back” by further gambling

what is the prevalence of gambling

-10% of U.S. adults engage in online gambling

-lifetime prevalence of problem gambling in 1.6% for adults, 4.6% for adolescents, and 14.23% for convicted felons

what are the demographics of gambling

-men are 2 times more likely to develop problem gambling than women

-among teenargers, boys to girls, the ratio of problem gambling is between 3:1 and 5:1

-boys gamble more frequently and wager larger amounts, begin at earlier ages, and more often prefer skill-based games

-african amercians are disproportionately represented in populations of disordered gamblers

what are the social and public health costs of gambling

-Estimates of the amount of money spent on gambling in the U.S. rose from $17.4 billion in 1974 to $860 billion in 2001 

-There's a whole cost to society, not just the individual  

-The costs attributed to problem gambling and pathological gambling have been estimated in the 1990’s to be 5 billion annually 

-7 billion is spent annually in the U.S. related to… missed

what are the 5 main effects on family from problem gambling

1. domestic violence

2. child abuse

3. child neglect

4. high rate of divorce

5. poor mental and physical health of family members

what are the 5 main health problems associated with a person who gambles

1. hypertension

2. insomnia

3. gastrointestinal complaints

4. cardiac arrest

5. sustained stress (increase salivary cortisol, immune system changes, elevated heart rate, higher levels of epinephrine and norepinephrine in metabolites)

define an eating disorder

-when food is used both repetitively and destructively by either its prolonged restriction or episodic overconsumption

what are the 3 main types of eating disorders

1. anorexia nervosa

2. bulimia nervosa

3. binge eating disorder (most common)

define binge eating disorder

-recurring episodes of eating significantly more food in a short period of time than most people would eat under similar circumstances, with episodes marked by feeling of lack of control

-may eat too quickly, even when they are not hungry

how is binge-eating disorder tied with obesity

-unlike bulimia nervosa, periods of eating are not followed by purging, excessive exercise, or fasting

-as a result, people with binge eating disorders are often overweight or obese

what are the 7 symptoms of binge-eating disorder

1. eating unusually large amounts of food in a specific amount of time 

2. Eating even when you're full or not hungry 

3. Eating fast during binge episodes 

4. Eating until you're uncomfortably full 

5. Eating alone or in secret to avoid embarrassment 

6. Feeling distressed, ashamed, or guilty about your eating 

7. Frequently dieting, possibly without weight loss 

What is the prevalence of binge-eating disorders

-life-time rate of BED for women is 3.5%

-life-time rate of BED for men is 2.0%

-prevalence of BED is even higher among obese and in those seeking bariatric surgery or other weight loss interventions

What are the 5 demographics about eating disorders

1. most commonly developed in adolescence and young adulthood

2. can occur at any point in life

3. peak age of onset for anorexia is 13-17

4. peak age for onset of bulimia nervosa is late adolescence through young adulthood

5. the development on BED develops in young to middle adulthood

define obesity

-a disease that affects an estimated 34% of adults age 20 and older in the U.S.

-considered obese when a persons BMI is over 30 or weight is 20% or more above normal weight

-about 72 million people (32.2% men and 35.5% women) are obese

What is the prevalence of obesity in the U.S.

-affects an estimated 34% of adults age 20 and older in the U.S.

-about 72 million people (32.2% men and 35.5% women) are obese

-considered obese when a persons BMI is over 30 or weight is 20% or more above normal weight

-number of overweight and obese adults have increase to about 68% of adults in 2008

What are the 4 most common reasons/causes of obesity

1. Genetics: obesity can often be traced to genes, and the brain can induce appetite tendencies 

2. Illness: Hypothyroidism, Cushing Syndrome and depression 

3. Psychological State: Mental illness and emotional problems 

-Some medications are good for treating mental illness, but it often results in a lot of weight gain 

4. Lifestyle habits: Poor diet and low levels of daily activity 

-If you didn’t do those physical activities when you’re younger, they will be much less likely to do those activities when they are older

What are 5 behavioral similarities between SUDs and EDs

1. cravings

2. cognitive dysfunctions (can skew things)

3. use to relieve negative affect (anxiety or depression)

4. secretiveness about the problematic behavior

5. social isolation

what are 5 more behavioral similarities between SUDs and EDs

1. maintenance of the problem behavior despite adverse consequences

2. denial of the presence of severity of the disorder

3. depression

4. experience of a transition where the behavior no longer relieves negative affect but now creates the feelings they were originally used to allay

5. presence of identical or similar changes and function of brain neurotransmitter reward/pleasure system pathways

What are 5 common features of EDs and SUDs

1. both are important diseases where loss of control and compulsive use are preeminent

2. both are diseases with diverse groups with unknown etiology

3. both are characterized by chronic relapse

4. both involve the acquired pathological attachment to the agent of their ultimate compromise and possible destruction

5. both may involve a host of risk factors with predispose a person to extreme reward after consumption or use, thus making repetition more likely to occur

what are 5 more common features of EDs and SUDs

1. both involve denial and reluctance to accept that they are in fact ill and in need of treatment

2. both can be relapsing triggers for each other

3. drugs are used to decrease eating and eating is used to decrease drug use

4. both can result in early death

5. both generally involve early experimentation; one with drugs, the other with dieting