Video Catalog > Mental Health

Compulsive Gambling effectively mixes historical and current clips of gambling and related activities to characterize this multi-billion dollar industry. In candid interviews with recovering gamblers, the video debunks the stereotype of gamblers as idle ne'er-do-wells. This disorder affects middle class, educated, otherwise very successful individuals, and their stories provide some insights into the costs to them and to society as a whole for their gambling.

Interviews with three experts directly involved in the care of compulsive gamblers reveal both the scope of the problem and the differences even among professionals in its diagnosis. Sheila Blume, Medical Director of Alcoholism, Chemical Dependency and Compulsive Gambling Programs at South Oaks Hospital, likens it to alcoholism in the 1950's when only those people showing severe symptoms, such as "delirium tremens" would make it into treatment. Donald Thoms, Director of the Gambling Treatment Center at St. Vincent's Hospital in Staten Island, explains that even in their own psychiatric emergency room, it took him two years to convince his intake staff to ask about gambling. Only in 1980 did the American Psychiatric Association include pathological gambling in its handbook, and even now there is considerable resistance to accepting compulsive gambling as a disorder, let alone a primary disorder. Jean Falzon, Executive Director of Problem Gambling, describes compulsive gambling as an impulse disorder, which mirrors many of the behaviors of other addictions such as alcoholism. For this reason, Gambler's Anonymous (GA), modeled after the 12-step recovery program developed by Alcoholics' Anonymous (AA), is often very effective. It is, however, no substitute for professional treatment, and a range of treatment options should be employed to treat the compulsive gambler.

Color, 20 minutes, VHS, DVD

Price : $250.00