Psychiatrist Petelin: a gambler is not able to control the time of the beginning of the game and its duration
Photo: Alexander Galperin / RIA Novosti
In Russia, about five to ten percent of young citizens under 30 may suffer from gambling addiction. Such data were disclosed to TASS by the psychiatrist of the Moscow State Medical University named after Sechenov, candidate of medical sciences Dmitry Petelin.
According to him, all the main manifestations of gambling addiction represent an exaggerated version of the usual human behavior, however, it is possible to calculate the addict and make a reliable diagnosis based on three symptoms that have been clearly observed for at least a year.
In particular, we are talking about a pronounced violation of control over game behavior, that is, the patient's inability to control the time of the start of the game, its frequency, intensity, duration and end. “A person with a computer addiction cannot miss a game if a computer comes into his field of vision, or there is a minimal opportunity to play. Moreover, he practically cannot stop the process, ”the specialist noted.
Another symptom of gambling addiction Petelin called the increased priority given to games to the detriment of all other forms of activity, and the third – the continuation of the game process even despite the negative consequences: when, for example, a person failed a session, but continues to play.
On January 1, the World Health Organization officially recognized computer gambling addiction as a disease. However, the diagnosis can only be made by a trained medical professional.
