GAMBLING DISORDERS 360°

This post was written by Amy Kugler, the NCRG’s Communications and Outreach Manager

Even though March is a great month to watch some of the ups and downs of the NCAA college basketball tournaments, those of us on staff for the National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG) were busy traveling to Chicago, Ill., for the seventh Annual Education Summit and to Seattle, Wash., for the first session of the 2013 NCRG Treatment Provider Workshop Series. What a busy month!

Earlier this year, the NCRG and AGA released the winter 2013 edition of Responsible Gaming Quarterly. While developing this edition of RGQ, we had the opportunity to speak in depth with members from the Evergreen Council on Problem Gambling in Washington state to learn more about the organization and their 2013 initiatives.

Today, the NCRG is excited to share two new resources that focus on important issues impacting the understanding, identification and treatment of gambling disorders and the development of responsible gaming strategies.

The first resource is a white paper that provides an overview of the upcoming fifth edition of the American Psychiatric Association’s (APA) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) and what it means for diagnosing and treating gambling disorders; the second translates the latest research on Internet gambling and its impact on gambling disorders.

One goal of the NCRG research program is to cultivate the next generation of researchers in the field of gambling disorders and responsible gaming. The NCRG is committed to giving the best and brightest young investigators an opportunity to gain funding, which is one of the reasons why we brought together 20 young investigators for the March workshop in Chicago, Ill. Another way that we’re supporting young researchers is with the Early Stage Investigator grant category of our Project Grants Program. Some grantees include Iris Balodis, Ph.D., from Yale University, and Heather Gray, Ph.D., from the Division on Addictions, Cambridge Health Alliance, a division of Harvard Medical School.

One of the most anticipated events in the mental health field is the publication of the fifth edition of the American Psychiatric Association’s (APA) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) in May 2013. Many of the changes have caused great debate and “pathological gambling” is no exception, with substantial changes in classification, the name of the disorder and the number of symptoms required for a diagnosis.

Changes in health care policies and mental health diagnostic codes are driving a larger conversation about what recovery and prevention should include for those with addictive disorders. From the Affordable Care Act to the American Psychiatric Association’s DSM-5, these changes impact how researchers study gambling disorders, how the industry builds responsible gaming programs to educate their patrons, and how clinicians relate to their clients.

If you’ve been following Gambling Disorders 360° and the NCRG’s Twitter and Facebook feeds, you know that 2012 was a busy and successful year for our organization. To highlight our initiatives and major accomplishments, the NCRG recently released the 2012 Annual Report.

From successful events and new resources, to productive collaborations and innovative research projects, here are some of the highlights from 2012:

The following is a guest post from Bethany Bray, Ph.D., a visiting faculty associate at The Methodology Center of Penn State University. Dr. Bray is a member of the NCRG Conference on Gambling and Addiction’s Advisory Board, and recently attended the NCRG’s workshop for early stage investigators as a part of the 2013 Annual Education Summit.

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Last week, the National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG) hosted a workshop for early-career scientists on grant and manuscript writing as part of the 2013 Annual Education Summit. The workshop provided an invaluable opportunity for young investigators to network with established researchers who focus on gambling disorders and other addictions. The speakers provided advice on submitting grants to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the NCRG, as well as tips on how to strategize which journals to send manuscript submissions. This event was a critical investment in the future of gambling disorder research; it established a supportive community and mentoring network for young investigators interested in researching an incredibly understudied area.

The NCRG is excited to officially announce the next NCRG Centers of Excellence in Gambling Research! The University of Chicago and Yale University were each awarded a three-year NCRG Centers of Excellence grant in the amount of $402,500 to employ a long-term, institutional approach to conducting innovative and multidisciplinary research and education programs about gambling disorders.

This week, the NCRG will be visiting Chicago for the 2013 Annual Education Summit! Each year, the NCRG conducts an Annual Education Summit in a different city to share information about the latest research on gambling disorders and make key stakeholders aware of the science-based programs and resources the NCRG has to offer. During the Annual Education Summit, the NCRG reaches out to a variety of stakeholders in gaming jurisdictions, including the casino industry, public policymakers, treatment providers, mental health professionals, regulators, scientists, university administrators and the general public.