Am J Psychiatry 1987; 144:757-761
Copyright © 1987 by American Psychiatric Association
Follow-up of pathological gamblers after treatment
JI Taber, RA McCormick, AM Russo, BJ Adkins and LF Ramirez
Pathological gamblers entering a comprehensive treatment program were
thoroughly assessed before treatment and 6 months after completion of
treatment. The reports of gamblers and collateral informants were highly
consistent. Follow-up interviews were conducted with 57 of the 66 patients
entering treatment. Total abstinence was reported by 56% (N = 32) of the
patients located for follow-up, and significant improvement on a wide range
of measures was documented. The authors feel that the results demonstrate
that pathological gambling is a treatable mental disorder.
