The study involved data from 878 participants that answered questions about gambling and depression when they were 17, 23 and 28 years old. Growing more severe over time, 73% of the participants who reported having problems with gambling were also living with depression that appears to have developed with the chronic gambling, according to the. Among high-risk online gamblers, the most predictive risk factors included moderate and severe anxiety and depression, reduced work hours, being influenced to gamble due to COVID-19, gambling under the influence of cannabis or alcohol and risky gambling motives tied to mental health concerns, including gambling because it helps with nervousness and depression, chasing gambling losses and seeking to earn income.

May 22, 2015

Gaming

Addiction comes in a number of forms and some of the hardest addictions to recover from do not involve drugs or alcohol. Gambling addiction plagues many American families; people who suffer from it face problems at work, school and home. New research suggests that young men who gamble chronically often suffer from depression, Medical News Today reports.

Researchers at the University of Quebec at Montreal in Canada conducted the first study to observe how often gambling and depression occurs together in young men in their teens through to their 20s. Frédéric Dussault and colleagues used data from a study that started in 1984 and is still active. The study involved data from 878 participants that answered questions about gambling and depression when they were 17, 23 and 28 years old.

Growing more severe over time, 73% of the participants who reported having problems with gambling were also living with depression that appears to have developed with the chronic gambling, according to the article. The researchers found that the problems did not seem to diminish with age, but worsened.

“Gambling problems may be more a personal problem similar to an addiction: once acquired, they are difficult to get rid of,” said Dussault.

The researchers determined that boys who showed signs of high impulsivity tend to become gamblers as they age. What’s more, another group of researchers at the University of Missouri say more than 1.6 million US college-age adults meet the criteria for problem gambling.

Another potential connection is that gambling itself could come before depression. The addictive nature of gambling can effect healthy brains and trap them just the same. A person who is perfectly happy could find themselves stuck putting more resources into gambling and create a stress inducing situation in their life. Gambling physically alters the structure of the brain and makes people more prone to depression and anxiety, new research has shown. The theme for 2017’s World Health Day is “Depression: Let’s Talk.” While people may not initially associate gambling with depression, many compulsive gamblers also suffer from mental health issues. As described by WHO, “Depression affects people of all ages, from all walks of life, in all countries. It causes mental anguish.

Between

People seeking treatment for problem gambling should address their depression (when present). Treating both disorders at the same time will better ensure a successful recovery.

The findings were published in the Journal of Gambling Studies.
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Link Between Gambling And Depression

It’s becoming increasingly evident that the relationship between video games and depression is real and significant. Researchers are still studying gaming disorder to better understand how excessive gaming impacts people. Something they know already is that understanding the relationship between video games and depression can help treat both.

Video games and depression occur together in over a quarter of all people with gaming disorder. One group of study participants were addicted to video games, while the people in the control group were not hooked on gaming. Just over 26 percent of the video gamers had depression. Slightly more than 11 percent of non-gamers had depression (Liu, 2018).

The high percentage of gamers with depression compared to non-gamers indicates that although not everyone addicted to video games is depressed, the relationship between video games and depression is strong. Multiple studies (Whittek, et al., 2016) have shown that video game addiction is associated with numerous symptoms of depression, including:

  • Low mood
  • Lack of energy
  • Sleep problems
  • Irritability
Link Between Gambling And DepressionLink

This begs a new question: Does one disorder cause the other? Are video games causing depression in heavy gamers, or are people with depression turning to video games as an escape?

The Relationship Between Video Games and Depression: Is It Cause-and-Effect?

The answer to the question about the nature of the relationship between video games and depression is unsatisfactory to researchers, mental health professionals, and those with gaming disorder and depression. The nature is unknown, at least for now.

The problem isn’t that researchers don’t understand the connection. On the contrary, they understand it very well.

Liu and his colleagues (2018), for example, are among those who study the human brain and its functioning in disorders. They found that the same areas of the brain had abnormal functioning in both depression and gaming disorder. The amygdala, prefrontal cortex, gyrus, and the connection between the frontoparietal lobe and the amygdala are disrupted in the same way in addicted gamers and in people with depression.

The problem lies in untangling the connection to see if one causes the other. Currently, it’s a chicken-and-egg conundrum. Gamers who live with depression may increasingly turn to gaming to escape their symptoms such as negative emotions, thoughts, and moods. Getting lost in gaming may be a sign of a problem in the gamer’s real-world life, an indication that something is missing.

On the other hand, depression may develop as a result of the gaming lifestyle. Long hours spent without exercise or much movement at all, nutrition and hydration that are often poor, lack of significant interaction with real-world people, and an intense focus on the content of the game can all contribute to the development of depression.

Depression and Video Games are Correlated

At this point, no one has yet to determine a cause-and-effect relationship between depression and gaming disorder. Therefore, the two conditions are considered to be correlated: they’re related; one influences the other; and when one intensifies, the other does, too.

The fact that excessive gaming and depression are correlated has great implications for people facing both conditions. Treating one helps the other. For example, brain-based research indicates that therapy for depression improves both depression and gaming addiction. Getting help for one can end up being a double bonus when both depression and gaming disorder symptoms subside.

There’s no wrong way to start treatment. The important thing is simply to begin, because taking that first action step is what leads the way toward reduced depression and gaming disorder. Use the relationship to your advantage:

  • Tune in to your unique experience. If you find that the more you play, the more depressed you become, you could begin healing by gradually reducing your time spent gaming
  • If you find that you’re down more often than not and turn to gaming to deal with it, you might seek professional help for depression and see your gaming time decrease as you replace it with other things

If you or someone you care about is experiencing firsthand the relationship between video games and depression, you can use the correlation to your advantage. Begin treating your symptoms, and you are quite likely to see both conditions improve.

Next: The Relationship Between Video Games and Anxiety
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APA Reference
Peterson, T. (2018, July 19). The Relationship Between Video Games and Depression, HealthyPlace. Retrieved on 2020, December 15 from https://www.healthyplace.com/addictions/gaming-disorder/the-relationship-between-video-games-and-depression