Principles of Prevention and Treatment of Gambling Disorder by Timothy Fong, MD

Gambling in the United States has never been at a higher level of popularity, engagement and acceptance. Revenues and participation rates in nearly all forms of regulated and unregulated gambling have reached all-time highs and there does not appear to be any sign of slowing down. Mental health and substance use disorder providers often do not receive any formalized training or supervision in the screening, treatment or prevention of gambling disorder during their schooling or early years of licensure or certification. This has created an ongoing need to educate, train and close the gaps of knowledge and clinical skills when it comes to addressing gambling disorder. This presentation provides an overview of the biological, psychological and social risk factors of gambling disorder and provides a current overview of the standard principles of prevention, screening and treatment of gambling disorder. Special attention is made to review treatment issues related to sports bettors with gambling disorder, individuals with co-occurring substance use and mental health disorders and vulnerable populations. Dr. Fong is a Professor of Psychiatry at the Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA. He is board certified in adult and addiction psychiatry. He is the co-director of the UCLA Gambling Studies Program. The purpose of this program is to examine the clinical characteristics of gambling disorder in order to develop effective, evidence-based prevention and treatment strategies. Visit the Nevada Council on Problem Gambling for more information like this as well as resources for help in the State of Nevada. https://www.nevadacouncil.org/