Research Update

In December 2009, Dr. Jon Grant of the University of Minnesota Medical School spoke to a human sexuality class about understanding and treating behavioral disorders. This free iTunes podcast of the presentation covers how behavioral addictions, such as pathological gambling, represent significant public health concerns and are associated with high rates of comorbidity with other psychiatric disorders.

A recent study from the Yale Gambling CORE (Center of Research Excellence) published in CNS Spectrums is shedding new light on the relationship between disordered gambling behavior, alcohol-use disorders and other psychiatric disorders. Research has shown that gambling, alcohol and psychiatric disorders tend to co-occur in the same individual (e.g., Kessler et al., 2008); however, few studies have attempted to tease out the associations between these disorders.