Pathological Gambling and OC-Spectrum of MentalDisorders

Overview

Both recent psychiatric classifi cation systems include pathological gambling into similar diagnosticcategories: ICD – 10 into the group of Habit and Impulsive Disorders, DSM-IV among Impulse ControlDisorders not Elsewhere Classifi ed. However many features of pathological gambling (e.g. formulationof diagnostic criteria, characteristics of course and outcome and possibilities of prevention andtreatment) are conspicuously similar to OC spectrum disorders and, on the other hand, to drug andalcohol addiction. The aim of our work was to evaluate the proportion of obsessive thoughts andcompulsive behaviour in the group of patients with pathological gambling in comparison to patientswith alcoholism and drug dependence. We compared the total scores of modifi cated Y-BOCS so as thesubscores of obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviour relevant to problem areas in all groupsof patients.The results of our research did not show any statistical differences between total scores ofmodifi cated Y-BOCS, or in the subscores representing obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviourof pathological gamblers in comparison to the group of alcoholics and, on the other hand, to thegroup of patients with drug dependence. It supports the opinion of close similarity of pathologicalgambling to psychoactive substance dependence. Obsessive and compulsive symptoms of pathologicalgambling could be also seen in the wider frame of the group similarity of dependencies and so calledOC spectrum of mental disorders.

Key words:
pathological gambling, impulse control disorders, OC spectrum disorders, substancedependence.