Anxiety

Among people seeking treatment for gambling disorder, anxiety disorders, including generalized anxiety, social anxiety, agoraphobia, and panic disorder are present in roughly 29% of cases. For many, gambling offers temporary relief: a state of focused arousal that crowds out worry, or a ritual that creates the illusion of control. The problem is that the relief is short-lived and the cycle it creates makes anxiety worse over time. Debt, secrecy, and the unpredictability of gambling outcomes are anxiety accelerants. Treatment addresses both the underlying anxiety and the behaviors it has been driving.