Heart attack? Gun shot wound? Appendicitis? You’ll probably hurry on down to your local emergency room. But how about for gambling?
A recent study out of Canada looked at visits by problem gamblers (PG) to an emergency room near Quebec’s largest casino. Interesting stats…
Who came to the ER? 3 times as many men came in as women for PG.
How many visits for gambling problems compared to other problems? About 1 out of each 100 visits were for gambling problems, and this percentage is increasing.
Why did gamblers come in? The 3 most common reasons were:
- depression
- suicidal thoughts
- attempted suicide
Besides their gambling problem, what other diagnoses were these gamblers given?
- depression
- drug or alcohol problems
- problems adjusting to a stress
If you’re getting in over your head, visit Gamblers Anonymous.
The original study appeared in the August 2007 issue of the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry.
