Pathological play

The pathological play is also named compulsif play or excessive play .

Definition

Among those which are devoted to the games of chance and money ( gambling in English), certain people develop a Pathologie: the Jeu becomes a Maladie or a dependence resulting in a unverifiable Impulsion with miser of the money. The dependence is characterized by a state of imperative need to make a Activité, or to consume a Substance, and by the need for increasing the Fréquence or proportions it in order to maintain the effect of it and for avoiding by it the state of lack (Malayan, distresses). In 1980, the American association of Psychiatrie recognized the pathological play like a disorder of the impulse (DSM-III, 1980). According to a study, 1 to 2% of the adults would answer the criteria of the pathological play.

In the field of the Political of the Health, the debate is articulated around two opposite designs. On a side, a position defended by the Industry American and European of the plays of money, for which the rate of prevalence of the pathological play is not correlated with accessibility with the activities of “play”, and according to them it would not be necessary to regulate them. On another side, there are those for which a regulation on this level can limit the number of pathological players substantially and the important social costs which are associated with this Psychopathologie.

Approaches several Pays

Various countries take into account the problem of the pathological play.

In Swiss, moral dimension and social of the play was taken into account at the time of the political debate on the opening of the casinos. In addition to a limitation of the establishments and a regulation of their exploitation, the pathological play is treated in units especially created.

With the Quebec, 5% of the population admits to have a problem of compulsif play (pathological) on the subject of which many studies were undertaken. The majority of the implied actors (enquiring, intervening, government, the company Lotto-Quebec which manages this industry) are intended to say (to differing degrees) that accessibility is a determining factor in the development of the compulsif play within the population.

One simply does not measure the Pathologie of a player by the amount of money only it spends with the “play”. An individual financially at ease can play important money sums without that representing a problem for him. Contrary, the case of people having weak a Returned or profiting from social minimums, which spends of the less important sums to the money plays, appears sometimes much more problematic.

Play, as much in the field of the Loterie and the Bingo that in that of the apparatuses of video lotteries (machines with under) and of the casinos, becomes pathological when it generates more difficulties in the life of the person than of entertainment. If the play monopolizes the money reserved for other ends the such account of electricity or the Facture of grocer or, in proportions even more serious, the time and the attention which would have, for example, being devoted to the family (Enfant S, united…). Or, if the play constitutes a dependence as well as a substance Psychotrope, i.e. when the person cannot prevent herself or to stop playing (when she does not play, she thinks without stop and feels of it irritated, she has any more the taste nothing to make and she is in a state of lack).

The factors which bring to the pathological play

There does not exist universal and single cause explaining the behavior of compulsif play. Each player has his reasons to hang to this type of dependence. But in the majority of the cases, the person tries to flee or express a need or a faintness interior.

Certain people play because they feel the need for spectacular successes. That results from the need that they have to show their value and to obtain the approval of the others. These people for example will have learned, often in their family, which one is loved and estimated of the others for what one makes, for our successes, rather than for what one is. Moreover, among those which learned that it is necessary of performer (to have material success) to have the attention and to be recognized, the perseverance, which is often an important value in these families, can come to support the behavior of chasing (the fact of returning to play unceasingly with an aim of regaining the lost money). The compulsif player takes his stubbornness thus to be wanted to play like perseverance and not like obstinacy.

Others express, by the behavior of compulsif play, of the Colère or the Rébellion. This is based on the assumption which the play is a behavior which will be perceived by the family and the others like deviating and disturbing. Some are in search of a release of a state of emotive dependence by the search for an activity which they can control. That by taking support on the bond which they established between financial independence and emotive independence. Also, good number of players and players seek social acceptance, since around a table of plays, all are equal. (“ If you have money, you are accepted. ”)

Many people who have a problem with the compulsif play, play with an aim of fleeing of the painful emotions. For example, the depressive players can feel a renewal of energy or a release of Endorphine while playing. Then, the play requires attention, which causes to distract the individual from his problems. Moreover, activities with high-risks like the play, from the feelings of excitation which they get, fight the feeling of vacuum and death. Moreover, for the people suffering from disorder of Hyperactivity, the play, like the Cocaine or the Amphetamines, has like effect to slow down them. Lastly, the play can also be practiced in order to prolong the phase “maniac” of a Maniaco-depression.

Physical dependence with the play

Recent research tends to show what many clinicians had already observed, namely that it develops in certain players a true physiological dependence with the play. The review Neuron published the results of an important research on the subject. The neurological answers accompanying anticipation and the experiment by profits and monetary losses were coloured by magnetic resonance. The study counted an initial phase of anticipation at the time which 3 amounts of money were presented, and a phase of results at the time which an amount was granted.

The hemodynamic data in the SLEA (subtenticular extended amygdala) and the orbital Gyrus presented an increase in the neurological answers proportional to the awaited amounts. ( Affected regions: nucleus, SLEA and Hypothalamus .) In fact the same zones and areas of the Cerveau are implied in the cocaine use.

The results indicate, following the example those of the studies relating to the tactile, gustatory stimuli and euphoriant drugs, a common network of neurological circuits which are activated with the attribution of certain rewards.

One can suppose, in the light of this research and some others, that more the exposure to the play is long and frequent, more the risk of a physiological dependence is high.

Different neuro-transmitters the such Endorphin and the Dopamine seem to play in this dependence a part quite as important as for the dependence with neuro-stimulative drugs such cocaine.

Cognitive distortion and paradoxical effects

The programming of the apparatuses of lottery-video (ALV) and other electronic devices of play would induce a cognitive distortion in the players. This distortion of the cognitive process would be of good part responsible for the very high rate of pathological players for these plays (approximately 90% of the pathological players and with problems). The distortion would be due to several elements. Most important would be the result of a skilful combination between the relatively high frequency of batches and the amounts of those. Small batches appear regularly but the significant batches are much rarer. This could be regarded as in conformity with the probabilities but it is only one appearance. In practice, the placers and managers of plays know very well two fundamental data with the financial evaluation of their activity: the rate of return, which is the frequency according to which profits all will be delivered (rising confused, including lower than the setting) and the rate of cashing, which is the relationship between the mized sums and the sums really recovered by the players (at the end of the phase of play). The adjustments of the machines with under all types are carried out so as to on the one hand give sufficient hope of profit (by a rate of high return) and on the other hand to ensure a satisfactory benefit for the placer (by a rate of relatively low cashing). The current rate of return is of 92% and the rate of cashing from approximately 78%. If one increased the rate of return to 93%, the rate of cashing would be likely to become definitely lower than 75%. At least, it is what occurred on the American riverboats. In fact, all the organizations of play wish to increase their rate of return up to 93-95%. A rate of higher return would be even more addictif. What prevents rates of return of 96-99% are time longer than that would take with a player to lose his money. It would be necessary then according to the study Leblond, 50.000 apparatuses in Quebec to have some seats of free for the new customers. ” Thus, more the rate of return is high, more there is risk which the apparatus creates of the pathological players.

Other elements of the programming would take part in this cognitive distortion. Inter alia, that to simulate a mechanical process. The player in front of his screen has thus the impression to be in front of mechanical rollers which turn and which stop as if their movement were mechanically given. For Leblond, “ the objective of these movements pseudomecanic is to support the false impression that there is in the ALV a mechanics which is exerted according to the physical laws ”. The apparatus is thus programmed to give the illusion to the player whom it failed well to gain a batch. The images which are posted very regularly give lines almost gaining, of the hands almost gaining…, and this, although the batch is in fact determined as of the moment when the player launches the machine. The images which are posted, the stop key or the handle are there only to induce people in error since they do not have in fact any control on the exit of the play. Moreover, it is also important not to give any reference mark on the time of play or the sums spent by the player. This one must forget the time which passes in front of these machines and the money that it spent there. In fact, these machines would be almost “mini-casinos”. The ALV and other electronic devices of play, in particular the machines with under, would thus express an overdose of characteristics which lead to the pathological play… The profitability of these apparatuses and the establishments of play which collect them would thus depend mainly on the pathological play.

A second important point of the study of this researcher concludes with the iatrogenic character from the messages from the type “ play with moderation ” or “ so that the play remains a play . ” Once the psychological dependence is installed, it is illusory to believe that one can control the damage by calling upon moderation. A professional clinical help is necessary. The role of the State is important to avoid taking the least expensive solutions to eliminate this pathology, like the creation of these slogans. Leblond had recourse to the unrealistic concept of Optimisme in order to advance the character plausible Iatrogène message. If moderation (an easy means) were sufficient to counter the damage, why would one be afraid to become sick? When one looks there closely, the message “ Jouez with moderation ” represents in fact a strategy reducing the attitudes of salutary prudence towards the pathological play. The folder which is available with the ALV comprises also these messages which give to the player a false feeling of Sécurité and this the more so as it refers only to the official rate of general prevalence (2,1%), but not at the rate of prevalence of the compulsif play within the regular players of ALV (machines with under) which is, him, from 25 to 50%.

Ludic character of the money plays

“ Play: Physical-activity or mental purely free, which does not have in the conscience of that which is devoted to it, of another goal that pleasure that it gets. ” ( the Petit Robert , 1988).

Today one calls in question the idea that the fact of devoting itself to games of chance and money represents a play activity and entertaining. The massive arrival of the machines with under and other electronic devices of “plays” modified much the image which the games of chance and money represented formerly. So before the casinos were reserved for middle-class customers which went there to socialize and have fun, it is not undoubtedly more the case today. The ludic plays of table left room to popular, lucrative and very addictives machines with under. Many studies of prevalence of the money plays within the population show that between 80% and 90% of the pathological players are tears with the various shapes of electronic apparatuses of lotteries (video lotteries, machines with under, keno, etc).

To devote itself to the machines to under and other apparatuses of electronic lotteries does not seem to represent for the majority of the players an entertaining and ludic activity. One would devote oneself to these popular plays initially with an aim of earning money there, and quickly some would fall into the trap from the addiction.

If the industry of the gambling has evolved/moved much for 25 years, it seems that the speech of the experts as regards pathological play hardly evolved/moved to him since the time of Dostoïevski. Those would not take sufficiently counts of them technological developments which had course within this industry. The machines with under electronic and other electronic devices of plays do not have apparently anything ludic since they are conceived to create a strong dependence at those which are devoted to it on a regular basis and at a high frequency.

See also on the same subject the Québécois Syndrome.

Diagnostic criteria of DSM-IV for the pathological play

Concern by the play (example: concern by the recollection of last experiments of play or by the forecast of nearest attempts or the means of getting money to play).
Need to play with increasing money sums to reach the desired state of excitation.
Efforts repeated but unfruitful to control, reduce or stop the practice of the play.
Agitation or irritability at the time of the attempts of reduction or stop of the practice of the play.
Cheek to escape the difficulties or to relieve a dysphoric mood (example: feelings of impotence, culpability, anxiety, depression).
After having lost money with the play, often turns over to play another day to recover its losses (for “ to remake ”).
Lies to its family, her therapeutist or others to dissimulate the real width of its practices of play.
Makes illegal acts such as falsifications, frauds, flights or diversion of money to finance the practice of the play.
Endanger or loses an important emotional relation, an use or possibilities of study or career because of the play.
Account on the others to obtain money and to leave themselves desperate financial positions due to the play.

(Extracted the Diagnosis and statistical manual off mental disorders (DSM-IV), pp. 181 and 618)

The expression “excessive play”

The expression “play excessive” was created and popularized by the psychologist, professor and researcher Québécois Robert Ladouceur (Université Laval, Quebec) . This expression wants to be less pejorative than those of “compulsif play” and “pathological play”. It refers to the “plays” of chance and money perceived like “play activities and entertaining”. In the United States, the industry of the gambling (of the games of chance and money) and the foundations which are associated for him use also this type of the expression, most popular is “gaming” instead of “gambling” (e.g.: “responsible gaming”).

Let us note that the majority of work of this researcher were financed by the industry of the gambling (of the games of chance and money), of the corporative services and Lotto-Quebec in particular.

Random links: