Definition of ludopathy - What it is, Meaning and Concept

The pathological addiction to the games of chance and the bets is known as ludopathy This addiction consists of an irrepressible desire to play even though the person is aware of the consequences.

The etymological origin of this term is found in the Latin.Yes, we can see that it is the result of the sum of two words of that language: ludus , which is synonymous with "game", and patia , which can be translated as "disease".


In a technical sense, however, gambling is not an addiction, but a disorder in the control of impulses , similar to kleptomania (compulsive theft of objects) and pyromania (obsession with fire).

The difficulty in resisting or having behaviors Repetitive are two of the situations that can lead to a person suffering from gambling.However, it cannot be denied that many others fall into this problem of gambling addiction mainly because they find in it a mechanism to release their stress level or to escape.of the serious personal, labor or economic problems they have.


The gambling is diagnosed from various symptoms , such as frequent thoughts about the game, irritability when trying to quit or reduce it, and the use of the game as an evasion mechanism.


However, there are many other symptoms that also make it clear that someone suffers from ludopathy.Yes, among the most significant are these: • He loses his job and even neglects both his personal commitments and his studies.He is capable of committing crimes in order to get money to continue playing with.• He can spend a lot of time thinking about how to make money or how to recover what he has already lost.• He constantly lies about the time he spends playing or the amounts that he has let out.• He feels excited when talking about the game and even when he thinks about playing more and more.


The ludopata tends to try to recover game losses with new bets.Those who suffer from this condition often lie to their relatives to hide how much money they allocate to the game and are even able to ask for economic help from third parties to keep betting.


Experts argue that gambling can lead to other disorders, such as anxiety , depression or even heart problems derived from stress .To treat gambling, there are self-help groups, psychological therapies and psychiatric medication.

It is important to note that when occasional play becomes a regular game, it is more likely to suffer from a disorder of ludopathy.In men, gambling usually begins in adolescence, while women usually develop this addiction between 20 and 40 years.


Among the most frequent treatments that exist to be able to cope with gambling are both support and self-help groups, such as Anonymous Players, as well as behavioral and cognitive therapy.Not forgetting the use, in certain cases, of antidepressants.


To relatives of a ludopata, specialists recommend that they try to explain objectively to the player what is going on, the amount of money they spend on bets and the time they do not spend on their family.It is also important to note irritability and nervousness of ludopata.

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