Gambling disorder frequently co-occurs with mental health conditions such as depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, posttraumatic stress disorder, and substance use disorders. These complex clinical presentations often lead to under-treatment or fragmented care. This conference session is designed for clinicians seeking to improve their understanding of individuals with gambling disorder and co-occurring conditions. We will review the prevalence of co-occurring disorders among individuals with gambling disorder, describe the impact of co-occurring disorders on treatment outcomes and the current models of integrated treatment, and evaluate the strengths and limitations of the existing research base. The session will introduce practical screening tools and empirically based treatment strategies for individuals with gambling disorder and co-occurring disorders.
Learning Objectives:
1) Identify common co-occurring conditions in gambling disorder
2) Differentiate the common treatment models for gambling and co-occurring conditions and identify the gold-standard
3) Appraise the existing scientific literature on integrated treatments for gambling disorder and co-occurring conditions
4) Recognize common screening instruments for co-occurring conditions
5) Identify a few actionable items that could be implemented to assess and treat problem gambling and co-occurring conditions