Impulse Control Disorder

State observes problem gambling awareness week [Florence Morning News, S.C.]

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 05:01:00 +0000

Mar. 10--COLUMBIA -- Christopher Reid knows a thing or two about addiction.

As an operator for S.C. Gambling Helpline, Reid has taken phone calls at all hours from people seeking help.

"A person called the other day who had a son that had a gambling problem and she wasn't sure what she needed to do," Reid said.

So, in recognition of National Problem Gambling Awareness Week, state lottery officials are reminding people of the importance of playing responsibly.

The S.C. Education Lottery and the Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services had a news conference Tuesday in Columbia to discuss gambling addiction and treatment.

"We feel like what we can do is get the message out, to families, to friends, to our players, that there is help for them should they feel that our games have left being fun and become an issue in any aspect of their life," said Paula Harper Bethea,...

A story of self-injury recovery [The Charleston Gazette, W.Va.]

Sun, 07 Mar 2010 14:18:00 +0000

Mar. 7--CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- She prowled the streets for sharp objects. Jagged glass. Tin cans. Metal shards. Anything that would cut her. Anything that would hurt. Anything to make her bleed.

Somehow, she felt better when she bled.

"I'd describe it as a release, a type of high. I'd enjoy seeing my blood flow, enjoy knowing that I'd been self-destructive."

It wasn't just cutting. Sometimes she burned herself. She has the scars to prove it. She also swallowed things. Odd things. A plastic bag. A paper hospital gown. Or she'd gulp a bottle of cleaner.

They call this psychological ailment "self-injury."

"I've heard it described as a way of living instead of dying," she said. "This is how we cope -- like an alcoholic turning to the bottle. We deal with extreme emotional pain through a physical outlet. It's a coping skill. It helps us get through the day."

She doesn't need it anymore.

Last...

PA Problem Gambling

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 18:50:00 +0000

To: STATE EDITORS

Contact: Stacy Kriedeman (Health), +1-717-787-1783; or Doug Harbach (PGCB), +1-717-346-8321; or Justin Fleming (Agriculture), +1-717-787-5085; or Stephanie Weyant (Revenue/Lottery), +1-717-787-6960

HARRISBURG, Pa., March 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Several state agencies are working together to highlight "National Problem Gambling Awareness Week," March 7-13, and to ensure Pennsylvanians with a gambling addiction know that help is available.

The state departments of Health, Revenue, and Agriculture -- along with the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board -- offer information on counseling and treatment services.

"Most people are able to gamble without harmful consequences," said Health Secretary Everette James. "But for anyone who develops a problem, it is important for them to be aware of the resources that can help them to overcome it."

The Department of Health has approved 57 problem gambling treatment providers across the state to provide counseling services to those in need. Assistance is also available by calling the department's 24-hour Gambling Addiction hotline...

The Morning Call, Allentown, Pa., Road Warrior column: Opinions diverge on games' effect [The ...

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 13:38:00 +0000

Mar. 1--Q: I'm curious if you know of any studies suggesting that "driving" video games, with spectacular crashes and other violence, might desensitize young people to the consequences of accidents in real-world driving.

-- Jim Kerin, Allentown

A: Interesting topic, Jim, and a controversial one. The view on Mainstream Road is that violent video games can influence the behavior of players, and not for the better.

Research suggests that playing such games increases angry feelings, aggressive thoughts and aggressive behavior, and decreases helpful behavior, according to the American Psychological Association.

I'm no shrink, but if that's true, it's even easier to accept that mere desensitization to violence would be an associated effect.

But there's opposing traffic as well, holding that video games mostly reflect conditions of the real world, and have little behavioral impact, even among impressionable youngsters who, despite appearances at times, are savvy enough to know the difference between fantasy and reality.

In...

New support group offers a lifeline for overspenders [Wyoming Tribune-Eagle, Cheyenne]

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 20:35:00 +0000

Feb. 22--CHEYENNE -- Compulsive spending habits, among some other mistakes, caused Phyllis Drury to spend time at the women's prison in Wyoming a few years ago.

There, she finally learned how to control money instead of letting it control her. And now she hopes to teach the same lessons to others.

Drury has started a local group called Debtors Anonymous as part of the national organization that aims to help people who compulsively spend money.

It follows the same principals as Alcoholics Anonymous, with the same 12 steps and philosophies -- though Drury said she doesn't necessarily see spending as an addiction like alcoholism, but more like a bad habit.

Natalie Milligan, the substance-abuse team leader at Peak Wellness Center in Cheyenne, is encouraging Drury to start this program.

Milligan said compulsive spending may not be a chemical addiction like a drug, but it produces the "same brain chemicals as with any other addiction."

It's...

House votes against increased funding for never-used program [Sun Journal, Lewiston, Maine]

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 12:06:00 +0000

Feb. 19--AUGUSTA -- A proposal to increase funding for the state's gambling addiction program was rejected in a preliminary vote in Maine's House of Representatives on Thursday.

The House did, however, unanimously approve moving the program from the Department of Public Safety to the office of Substance Abuse in the Department of Health and Human Services.

Lawmakers who opposed increasing funding for the program, from $50,000 to a proposed $250,000 by 2023, pointed to the fact that no one has signed up for gambling addiction help since the program was created in 2006.

"We understand that no one has made use, since day one, of the gambling addiction program," said state Rep. Linda Valentino, D-Saco, during floor debate. "We don't have problem gamblers that have taken advantage of this and come into the system. So why are we increasing it from $50,000 to $250,000?"

State. Rep. Mike Carey, D-Lewiston, who sponsored the bill,...

Hawaii gambling bills advance in House [The Honolulu Advertiser]

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 14:55:00 +0000

Feb. 10--A bill that could lead to casinos on Hawaiian Home Lands passed out of the state House Judiciary Committee, while a separate measure that would allow a single casino on O'ahu also advanced yesterday.

House Bill 2759 authorizes the state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands to allow gaming casinos on Hawaiian Homes parcels as it deems necessary. That bill moved out of the Judiciary Committee yesterday after lengthy testimony.

Another measure, House Bill 2251, would allow for creation of a gaming commission that would issue a single five-year license to a casino operator on O'ahu. That bill received the second of three votes in the House yesterday, although a sizeable number of representatives voted no.

House Judiciary chairman Jon Riki Karamatsu, who wrote the single-casino measure, said the state's economic budget woes warrant a closer look at gambling proposals.

The Democratic leadership in the House has encouraged keeping a gaming bill alive...

Sports gambling can be a costly deal [BC-FBN-SPORTSGAMBLING-SPORTSPLUS:HK]

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 13:00:00 +0000

Kevin stared down at New York's East River, its murky water beckoning him to jump.

He stood at the edge of a pier in Lower Manhattan, hearing the shouts of people behind him as he flung his briefcase and then his suit jacket into the depths.

He had found what he was looking for. He had found his place to die.

The FBI had hunted him down, confronting him that morning in 1998 about the $800,000 he had embezzled from the Wall Street financial institution where he worked. All the money was gone, just part of the "over $1 million easy" he had gambled away to feed his insatiable addiction.

"How do you tell a wife that there's no money coming in, that they took everything we own and I'm going away to prison for two years?" said Kevin (not his real name), a 53-year-old Bergen County, N.J., resident. "So instead of trying...

Shelf space has gamer yearning for every download [The Hawk Eye, Burlington, Iowa]

Jennifer Hageman — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 22:14:00 +0000

The Hawk Eye, Burlington, Iowa, Will Smith column

Jan. 31--After 20 years with a controller in my hand, I'm starting to worry I may drown in video games.

I'm not talking about the content or the virtual worlds I regularly visit -- if I haven't ingested my fill of dragon slaying and gunfights by now, I likely never will. For me, digital death seems to be sustenance rather than dessert.

What I'm talking about are the actual, physical games -- the discs they come on, the cases that hold them and instruction booklets that explain how to play them. My limited shelf space is well beyond capacity, even though I've limited myself to displaying games from the current generation of systems.

What I yearn for is a not-to-distant future when every new console game will be offered as a digital download the day it is released. We're already pretty close -- the Xbox...

High-stakes behavior: What to do when gambling holds all the cards [The Register-Herald, ...

Sun, 24 Jan 2010 16:50:00 +0000

Jan. 24--Editor's note: What if your New Year's resolution is more challenging than losing weight or joining a fitness program? What if you intend to beat an addiction, such as drug or alcohol abuse, smoking or gambling? This is the last of a three-part series dealing with overcoming addictions.

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"Problem gambling is considered a very treatable disorder," said Sheila Moran, director of development for the Problem Gamblers Help Network of West Virginia. "We have outcome studies showing that the majority of people who get help from us are in recovery and back in control of their lives."

The PGHN of West Virginia was created by the Legislature to provide a variety of services to problem gamblers and their loved ones.

"When there is an addictive behavior, such as gambling, family members and other loved ones can be directly affected," Moran said. "Our program provides resources, not only for the gambler but for...

Neglected Chinese girl cuts off game-addict parents' computer cable!

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 05:01:00 +0000

New Delhi, Nov 11 (ANI): A Chinese girl cut off the cable of her parents' computer because their addiction to games was making her feel neglected.

The girl from Xianyang, Shaanxi province, said that her parents were addicted to an online game called 'Happy Farm'.

She said that they were always on the computer whenever they were home, reports The China Daily.

However, her parents said they had no clue they were ignoring their daughter and have now vowed to stop playing the game. (ANI)

Albertans recognize Responsible Gambling Awareness Week, October 19-25

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 14:04:00 +0000

Edmonton -- Responsible Gambling Awareness Week, October 19 to 25, focuses on educating Albertans on how to be responsible gamblers and how to access problem gambling prevention and treatment programs. The week's theme is Play Smart. Gamble Responsibly.

'This is the third year for Responsible Gambling Awareness Week and this government is committed to providing Albertans with information about how to gamble responsibly,' said Fred Lindsay, Solicitor General and Minister of Public Security, responsible for the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission (AGLC). 'The week's goal is to promote the various responsible gambling initiatives available across the province as well as to inform gamblers about where to access help if they need it.'

The week focuses on educating gambling patrons in the province's casinos, racing entertainment centres, VLT retail outlets and bingo halls. Gambling patrons are invited to drop into open houses hosted throughout the week by AGLC representatives in participating Responsible...

Ohio County coach resigns, says gambling caused downfall [Messenger-Inquirer, Owensboro, Ky.]

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 10:39:00 +0000

Sep. 30--Clint Clark, who resigned last week as Ohio County High School baseball coach, admitted misappropriating nearly $3,000 from the baseball booster clubs at Ohio County High School and the Twins Lakes Conference, in an interview with the Messenger-Inquirer on Tuesday.

Clark, 36, who never coached a game for the Eagles, formerly coached baseball at Edmonson County and his alma mater, Butler County.

Clark said he used the booster funds for gambling, some of which was done from his work computer online at Ohio County Middle School, where he remains as a special education teacher.

OCHS Principal John Stofer would only confirm that Clark had resigned as baseball coach. James Fulkerson, the school's athletic director, refused to comment on the matter. Ohio County Schools Superintendent Soretta Ralph did not immediately return a phone message.

"I took money out of the Ohio County booster club account and the Twin Lakes account," Clark said. "All...

Addictive syndromes may result from excessive dopamine agonist use

Administrator — Fri, 22 May 2009 13:15:44 +0000

Last Updated: 2009-03-10 13:36:52 -0400 (Reuters Health)

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Patients being treated for Parkinson's disease may sometimes develop addictive behaviors such as pathological gambling, resulting from excessive use of dopamine agonists, according to a report in the February 26th issue of Neuron.

"Dopamine agonists (pramipexole, ropinirole, pergolide, bromocriptine), which are used for Parkinson's disease (PD) and restless legs syndrome (RLS), carry a very definite risk of causing impulse control disorders and addiction," Dr. Alain Dagher from McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, told Reuters Health. "MDs should be aware of these side effects and explicitly warn patients who are started on these drugs."

Dr. Dagher and Dr. Trevor W. Robbins from the University of Cambridge, UK, reviewed the associations between dopamine and addictive personality disorders in light of current models of learning and addiction.

Risk factors for these...

Parkinson's patients on dopamine agonists may develop pathologic behaviors

Administrator — Fri, 22 May 2009 13:14:47 +0000

Last Updated: 2009-04-13 11:18:48 -0400 (Reuters Health)

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - About one in five patients taking a therapeutic dose of a dopamine agonist for treatment of Parkinson disease may develop new-onset compulsive gambling or hypersexuality, according to a study of patients treated at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

By contrast, these behaviors were not seen in untreated patients, those taking subtherapeutic dopamine agonist doses, or those taking carbidopa/levodopa alone.

"Physicians who care for patients taking these drugs should recognize the potential of the drugs to induce pathologic syndromes that sometimes masquerade as primary psychiatric disease," Dr. J. Michael Bostwick and co-authors caution in the April issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

Their study was designed to more accurately determine the prevalence of this treatment complication than has been estimated by specialty referral clinics, by limiting their study cohort...

Naltrexone promising for treating kleptomania

Administrator — Fri, 22 May 2009 13:14:01 +0000

Last Updated: 2009-04-14 11:16:27 -0400 (Reuters Health)

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The opiate antagonist naltrexone, commonly used to treat alcoholism and drug addiction, reduces stealing urges and behavior in kleptomania, according to study results published in the April 1st issue of Biological Psychiatry.

"Kleptomania appears to share many phenomenological similarities to substance use disorders: urges or cravings, tolerances, withdrawal, repeated unsuccessful attempts to cut back or stop, and impairment in areas of life functioning," Dr. Jon E. Grant and colleagues of the University of Minnesota School of Medicine, Minneapolis, point out.

"Opioid antagonists have been hypothesized to influence dopamine neurotransmission in the nucleus accumbens and linked motivational neurocircuitry, dampening stealing-related excitement and cravings," they note.

In an 8-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, the researchers examined the efficacy and tolerability of naltrexone in 25 adults with kleptomania who were randomly assigned...

The Neurobiology of Impulse Control Disorders

Administrator

Objective: To review the neurobiological substrates of impulse control disorders. Pathological gambling is a main focus of the review in that most biological studies of the formal impulse control disorders have examined this disorder.

Method: The medical database Medline from 1966 to present was searched to identify relevant articles that were subsequently reviewed to generate this manuscript.

Results: Preclinical studies suggest that differential brain monoamine neuromodulation is associated with impulsive decision-making and risk-taking behaviors. Clinical studies implicate multiple neurotransmitter systems (serotonergic, dopaminergic, adrenergic, and opioidergic) in the pathophysiology of pathological gambling and other impulse control disorders. Initial neuroimaging studies have implicated the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and ventral striatum in the pathophysiology of pathological gambling and other impulse control disorders. Genetic contributions to pathological gambling seem substantial and initial studies have implicated specific allelic polymorphisms, although genome-wide analyses have yet to be published....

Impulse Control Disorders in Women with Eating Disorders

Administrator

We compared symptom patterns, severity of illness, and comorbidity in individuals with eating disorders with and without impulse control disorders (ICD), and documented the temporal pattern of illness onset.

Lifetime ICD were present in 16.6% of 709 women with a history of eating disorders. The most common syndromes were compulsive buying disorder and kleptomania. ICD occurred more in individuals with binge eating subtypes, and were associated with significantly greater use of laxatives, diuretics, appetite suppressants and fasting, and with greater body image disturbance, higher harm avoidance, neuroticism, cognitive impulsivity, and lower self-directedness.

In addition, individuals with ICD were more likely to have obsessive-compulsive disorder, any anxiety disorder, specific phobia, depression, cluster B personality disorder, avoidant personality disorder, and to use psychoactive substances. Among those with ICD, 62% reported the ICD predated the eating disorder and 45% reported the onset of both disorders...

The Relationship Between Impulsivity and Impulse Control Disorders in Parkinson's Disease

Administrator

A range of behaviors presumed to be related to dopaminergic medications have been recently recognized in Parkinson's disease (PD).

We evaluated 50 consecutive cognitively intact PD patients on stable dopamine agonist and levodopa therapy and 100 healthy controls for compulsive sexual behavior, compulsive buying, or intermittent explosive disorders assessed by the Minnesota Impulsive Disorders Interview (MIDI), pathological gambling (South Oaks Gambling Screen, SOGS), impulsivity (Barratt Impulsiveness Scale), compulsivity (Maudsley obsessional-compulsive inventory), and depression scores (Geriatric Depression Scale). Overall 28% PD (14/50) and 20% healthy controls (20/100) reported at least one abnormal behavior at MIDI or pathological SOGS score. PD patients had higher scores than controls for impulsivity (P = 0.006), compulsivity (P < 0.001), and depression (P < 0.001). There was no correlation between impulsivity, compulsivity, and depression scores in PD.

Male gender and higher impulsivity score, but not dose and kind...

Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment for Impulse Control Disorders

Administrator

Objectives: This paper reviews the cognitive-behavioral treatment of kleptomania, compulsive buying, and pathological gambling.

Method: A review of the published literature was conducted.

Results: Treatment research in all of these areas is limited. The cognitive-behavioral techniques used in the treatment of kleptomania encompass covert sensitization, imaginal desensitization, systematic desensitization, aversion therapy, relaxation training, and alternative sources of satisfaction. Regarding compulsive buying, no empirical support for treatment exists but common techniques examined were covert sensitization, exposure and response prevention, stimulus control, cognitive restructuring, and relapse prevention. Treatment of pathological gambling has been successful in both group and individual format using techniques such as aversive therapy, systematic desensitization, imaginal desensitization and multimodal behavior therapy (which have included in vivo exposure, stimulus control, and covert sensitization) along with cognitive techniques such as psychoeducation, cognitive-restructuring, and relapse prevention.

Conclusions: There is a...

Impulse Control Disorders in Women with Eating Disorders

Administrator

We compared symptom patterns, severity of illness, and comorbidity in individuals with eating disorders with and without impulse control disorders (ICD), and documented the temporal pattern of illness onset. Lifetime ICD were present in 16.6% of 709 women with a history of eating disorders.

The most common syndromes were compulsive buying disorder and kleptomania. ICD occurred more in individuals with binge eating subtypes, and were associated with significantly greater use of laxatives, diuretics, appetite suppressants and fasting, and with greater body image disturbance, higher harm avoidance, neuroticism, cognitive impulsivity, and lower self-directedness.

In addition, individuals with ICD were more likely to have obsessive-compulsive disorder, any anxiety disorder, specific phobia, depression, cluster B personality disorder, avoidant personality disorder, and to use psychoactive substances. Among those with ICD, 62% reported the ICD predated the eating disorder and 45% reported the onset of both disorders...

Long-Term Follow-Up of Impulse Control Disorders in Parkinson's Disease

Administrator

Recent studies have linked dopamine agonist (DA) usage with the development of impulse control disorders (ICDs) in Parkinson's disease (PD). Little is known about optimal management strategies or the long-term outcomes of affected patients. To report on the clinical interventions and long-term outcomes of PD patients who developed an ICD after DA initiation.

Subjects contacted by telephone for a follow-up interview after a mean time period of 29.2 months. They were administered a modified Minnesota Impulse Disorder Interview for compulsive buying, gambling, and sexuality, and also self-rated changes in their ICD symptomatology. Baseline and follow-up dopamine replacement therapy use was recorded and verified by chart review. Of 18 subjects, 15 (83.3%) participated in the follow-up interview. At follow-up, patients were receiving a significantly lower DA levodopa equivalent daily dosage (LEDD) (Z = -3.1, P = 0.002) and a higher daily levodopa dosage (Z = -1.9, P...

Neural Correlates of Impulse Control During Stop Signal Inhibition in Cocaine-Dependent Men

Administrator

Altered impulse control is associated with substance use disorders, including cocaine dependence. We sought to identify the neural correlates of impulse control in abstinent male patients with cocaine dependence (PCD). Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was conducted during a stop signal task that allowed trial-by-trial evaluation of response inhibition.

Fifteen male PCD and 15 healthy control (HC) subjects, matched in age and years of education, were compared. Stop signal reaction time (SSRT) was derived on the basis of a horse race model. By comparing PCD and HC co-varied for stop success rate, task-related frustration rating, and post-error slowing, we isolated the neural substrates of response inhibition, independent of attentional monitoring (of the stop signal) and post-response processes including affective responses and error monitoring. Using region of interest analysis, we found no differences between HC and PCD who were matched in stop signal performance in the pre-supplementary...