(HealthDayNews) -- A few lucky wins at the casino can turn a casual gambler into a casino regular. But at what point does a love of gambling become a full-fledged addiction?
According to the American Psychiatric Association, people have a gambling disorder and should seek help if they experience five or more of the following symptoms:
- Preoccupation with gambling-related thoughts, plans or activities.
- The need to gamble with increasing sums of money to elicit the desired excitement.
- Restlessness or irritability when trying to cut down or stop gambling.
- Gambling to escape from problems or relieve feelings of helplessness, anxiety, guilt or depression.
- After losing money gambling, trying to win it back with more gambling.
- Lying to conceal gambling activities or their consequences.
- Committing illegal acts to finance gambling.
- Jeopardizing or losing a significant relationship, job, educational or career opportunity because of gambling.
- Relying on bailout money from others to fix a gambling debt.
- Having made repeated unsuccessful attempts to curb or stop gambling.
