Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Sep 28;10(3):540-545.
doi: 10.1556/2006.2021.00060.

Eating disorder in gambling disorder: A group with increased psychopathology

Linda Lemón  1 , Fernando Fernández-Aranda  2   3   4 , Susana Jiménez-Murcia  2   3   4 , Anders Håkansson  5   6
Affiliations

Eating disorder in gambling disorder: A group with increased psychopathology

Linda Lemón et al. J Behav Addict. .

Abstract

Background and aims: Theoretical background and previous data provide some similarities between problematic gambling and eating behaviors, and a theoretically increased clinical severity in individuals suffering from both conditions. However, large datasets are lacking, and therefore, the present study aimed to study, in a nationwide register material, psychiatric comorbidity, age and gender in gambling disorder (GD) patients with or without eating disorder (ED).

Methods: Diagnostic data from a nationwide register were used, including all individuals with a GD diagnosis in specialized health care in Sweden, in the years 2005-2016 (N = 2,099). Patients with GD and an ED diagnosis (n = 57) were compared to GD patients without ED.

Results: Patients with GD+ED were significantly more likely than other GD patients to also have a diagnosis of drug use disorder, depressive disorders, bipolar disorders, other mood disorder, anxiety disorders, personality disorders, and neuropsychiatric disorders, when controlling for gender. In logistic regression, a comorbid ED in GD was associated with female gender, younger age, depressive disorder and personality disorders.

Discussion and conclusion: In nationwide register data, despite the low number of GD+ED patients, GD patients with ED appear to have a more severe psychiatric comorbidity than GD patients without ED. The combined GD+ED conditions may require particular screening and clinical attention, as well as further research in larger and longitudinal studies.

Keywords: behavioral addiction; comorbidity; eating disorder; gambling disorder.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Hakansson has a position as professor at Lund University which is sponsored by the state-owned gambling operator, partly constituting a gambling monopoly on parts of the gambling market. Also, he has obtained funding from the research council of the same state-owned gambling operator, as well as from the research council of the Swedish alcohol monopoly. Other researchers report no conflicts of interest.

References

    1. Alvarez-Moya, E. M. , Jimenez-Murcia, S. , Granero, R. , Vallejo, J. , Krug, I. , Bulik, C. M. , & Fernandez-Aranda, F. (2007). Comparison of personality risk factors in bulimia nervosa and pathological gambling. Comprehensive Psychiatry , 48(5), 452–457. 10.1016/j.comppsych.2007.03.008. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Bahji, A. , Mazhar, M. N. , Hudson, C. C. , Nadkarni, P. , MacNeil, B. A. , & Hawken, E. (2019). Prevalence of substance use disorder comorbidity among individuals with eating disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Psychiatry Research , 273, 58–66. 10.1016/j.psychres.2019.01.007. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Blaszczynski, A. , & Nower, L. (2002). A pathways model of problem and pathological gambling. Addiction , 97(5), 487–499. 10.1046/j.1360-0443.2002.00015.x. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Calado, F. , & Griffiths, M. D. (2016). Problem gambling worldwide: An update and systematic review of empirical research (2000–2015). Journal of Behavioral Addictions , 5, 592–613. 10.1556/2006.5.2016.073. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Davis, C. , Curtis, C. , Levitan, R. D. , Carter, J. C. , Kaplan, A. S. , & Kennedy, J. L. (2011). Evidence that “food addiction” is a valid phenotype of obesity. Appetite , 57(3), 711–717. 10.1016/j.appet.2011.08.017. - DOI - PubMed