The Diagnostic and Statistical Disorders Manual or the DSM-IV defines addiction as the presence of three or more of the following criteria in the last twelve months; tolerance, withdrawal symptoms, continued use despite harm, loss of control, attempts to cut down, salience, and reduced involvement. Health professionals everywhere use the DSM to identify and treat various disorders. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines dependence as a mental state, and usually also a physical state, resulting from the interaction of a living organism with a substance (Hoffman, 2011). This state is characterized by changes in behavior and other consequences, including an always-irresistible urge to continually or periodically use that substance so as to experience its psychological effects or avoid unpleasant symptoms resulting from its absence. When people think of addiction they often think of alcohol or drugs. However, one of the other most popular addictions is gambling. .
The act of gambling which is defined as playing a game in which you can win or lose money or possessions, to bet on an uncertain outcome, or to stake something on a contingency (Merriam-Webster). Gambling can be broken down into three levels of severity; recreational gambling, problem gambling, and pathological gambling (Jaezari & Habil, 2012). Recreational gambling is a form of recreation and a way of spending leisure time, problem gambling is when the first negative consequences of gambling appears, and pathological gambling is addiction with all of its consequences. Pathological gambling involves the irresponsible and uncontrollable need to gamble without regard for the consequences. The question of whether or not gambling can be classified as an addictive disorder has been debated for years, but the DSM adopted gambling in its third edition with little testing and based it off of very limited clinical experience.
