The following list of ten questions are used to make a diagnosis of Pathological Gambling.  This list is typically used by mental health professionals determine, based on the what the patient is saying, how many of the criteria fit.  It can be difficult for a person to make a "self-diagnoses" because someone can manipulate the questions in a manner that is not accurate.  Below is the list of questions and afterward I have provided some discussion of some of the common questions people ask.  This information is intended for educational purposes only.  Conclusions about whether a person is or is not a Pathological Gambler CAN NOT be based only on their score.  In addition, there is an exclusionary diagnosis, Bipolar Disorder.  This means that if someone has Bipolar Disorder than making a diagnosis of Pathological Gambling would be dependent on additional assessment information.  This has been adapted from the American Psychiatric Association (APA) and is available with expanded information in the book:  Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM IV™)

1. Are you preoccupied with gambling (e.g., preoccupied with reliving past gambling experiences, handicapping or planning the next venture, or thinking of ways to get money with which to gamble)?

2. Do you need to gamble with increasing amounts of money in order to achieve the desired excitement?

3. Have you made repeated unsuccessful efforts to control, cut back, or stop gambling?

4. Are you restless or irritable when attempting to cut down or stop gambling?

5. Do you gamble as a way of escaping from problems or of relieving feelings of helplessness, guilt, anxiety, or depression?

6. After losing money gambling, do you often return another day to get even?

7. Do you lie to family members, therapists, or to others to conceal the extent of involvement with gambling?

8. Have you committed illegal acts such as forgery, fraud, theft, or embezzlement to finance gambling?

9. Have you jeopardized or lost a significant relationship, job or educational or career opportunity because of gambling?

10. Do you rely on others to provide money to relieve a desperate financial situation caused by gambling?  

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Unfortunately there is no real scoring key for the DSM-IV assessment tool.  Based on careful research and clinical experience, the authors of this symptom list decided that five or more positive, or "yes" responses indicates a diagnosis of Pathological gambling.  However, there was a lot of discussion about the number of symptoms needed and some of the authors felt strongly that four symptoms was sufficient.  People who endorse 1-4 symptoms may be Problem gamblers rather than Pathological gamblers, however the authors of this list of symptoms did not discuss the number of symptoms that are indicative of problem gambling so this needs to be evaluated in person by a clinician. (see the types of gamblers section (click here: Types of gamblers) for more details. Again, I would like to reiterate that the issue of making a diagnosis can be very complex. I have seen some patients who did not endorse five symptoms and yet clearly had the diagnosis.  For example, a gambler who is dishonest about their gambling, borrows money from many people or institutions, and has had a financial bailout from someone; in this situation the gambler do not meet the criteria, but they may be a pathological gambler or on their way to becoming pathological gambler. I would also like to mention that I really dislike with the term: "Pathological" Gambler, which was selected because the alternative term "compulsive" has a technical meaning to psychiatrist, indicating a person who is doing something that they do not want to do (like repetitive hand washing or checking that the oven is turned off over and over again), and most gamblers do want to continue in their behavior.