Pathological Gambling: Psychosomatic,emotional and marital difficulties as reported by the Gambler

Two parallel self-administered surveys were distributed at three conferences of Gamblers Anonymous. One survey was for members of Gamblers Anonymous and the other was for members of GamAnon. Approximately 500 respondents completed the surveys. This article is a report of some of the data from the gamblers' survey. This survey focused on two time periods of the compulsive gambler's life—during the desperation phase of the illness (Custer, 1982) and the phase following a period of abstinence from gambling. Specific areas covered in this preliminary report focus on the psychosomatic problems encountered by the gambler, emotional difficulties, sexual estrangement, and the need for mental health services. It is anticipated that some of these needs can be met through training or therapy sessions in professional gambling treatment centers and at Gamblers Anonymous conferences.This article is a revised version of a paper presented at the Sixth National Conference on Gambling and Risk Taking, Atlantic City, New Jersey, December 1984.Robert Yaffee computer scientist, was assisted by senior research assistants: Nancy Frankel, Danny Frankel, Deborah Becker, Douglas Rosen, Leslav Giermanski, Jaime Beauchamp, and Thomas Reingold. Other research assistants included Joseph Lautner, Trudy Myers, Arvind Chawla, and John Morales. To all of these individuals, the National Foundation for Study & Treatment of Pathological Gambling acknowledges its gratitude for their contribution to this project.