Pathological Gambling

Nancy M. Petry earned a BA in 1990 from Randolph-Macon Woman's College and a PhD from Harvard University in 1994. In 1996, she joined the faculty of the University of Connecticut Health Center, where she is a professor of psychiatry. She conducts research on the treatment of addictive disorders, ranging from substance use disorders to pathological gambling, and has published more than 80 peer-reviewed articles. Her work is funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the National Institute of Mental Health, and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Dr. Petry serves as a consultant and advisor for the National Institute of Health, and she is on the editorial boards of six academic journals. She received the APA Distinguished Scientific Award for Early Career Contribution to Psychology in 2003.

I. Foundations for Understanding
Introduction
Terminology, Prevalence Rates, and Types of Gambling
Assessment
II. Etiology
Demographic Correlates
Comorbidity of Disordered Gambling and Other Psychiatric Disorders
Neurobiology and Genetics
III. Research on Interventions
Pharmacotherapies
Recovery Without Professional Intervention
Therapy for Families and Significant Others
Psychoanalytic and Psychodynamic Treatments
Early Behavioral Treatments
Cognitive Biases and Cognitive Therapy
IV. A Treatment Model
Cognitive–Behavioral Therapy
Brief and Motivational Interventions
V. Conclusions
Prevention: Focus on Gambling in Youth and Young Adults
Conclusions