According to epidemiological studies, there are 103 000-290 000 people in Germany afflicted by pathological gambling. In many cases the disorder remains hidden for a long time with only a few of the problematic or pathological gamblers seeking help in the professional helping network. Focussing on the relevant results for Germany, this review summarizes the recent research concerning "pathological gambling". The main topics are diagnosis, nosological status, epidemiology, gender-related differences and common screening instruments. Furthermore, the increasing probability for the development of pathological gambling upon existing other psychiatric disorders, e. g. personality disorder, mood and anxiety disorders, substance-related disorders or ADHD, is discussed as well as the current approaches in treatment.
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