20/01/2025
Lately, while browsing through reels, I have noticed several ads about mobile gambling. Honestly, it is quite bothering that these are being marketed as if there is โa sure instant winโ. Yes, there may be an instant win, pero it is still based on โchanceโ which means that there is also a chance of losing. Also, there seems to be a lack of reminder to regulate this behavior.
Ang enticing when it says that you can win millions, but what is not being cautioned by these ads is that you can also lose every penny that you have. And there are a lot of actual people who lost more than they win.
As access to gambling has expanded, psychologists and other experts have become concerned not just that more people will give it a try, but that more will develop gambling problems (Sohn, 2023).
In DSM-5 TR (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders), under the non-substance related disorders nakapaloob ang โGAMBLING DISORDERโ. It is characterized by persistent and recurrent problematic gambling behavior leading to clinically significant impairment or distressโฆ following a 12-month period.
While it is true na maraming mga tao ang na-try nang magsugal without developing problematic behaviors, there are many who develop gambling problems. Remember that โgambling behaviorโ is still different from โgambling disorderโ.
Ano nga ba ang ilan sa causes bakit nadedevelop ang ganitong disorder?
โVulnerability is high in people with low incomes who have more to gain with a big winโ (Kraus, 2023).
โSeeing parents, siblings, or other members of the household gamble also normalizes gambling for kids, making them more likely to engage in gambling and other risky behaviors, including alcohol and drug use (Nower, 2022)โ
Biological causes such as low activity ng ventral striatum (connected with rewarding feelings), smaller volumes in amygdala and the hippocampus (structures involved in emotional and stress regulation). The โyet-to-be developedโ prefrontal cortex most especially of adolescents could also explain kung bakit maraming kabataan ang naiinvolve sa pagsusugal dahil ang area ng brain natin na ito ang responsible for planning and decision making which is kapag hindi pa siya ganun ka-develop could lead to impulsive behaviors.
Hindi biro ang gambling disorder dahil hindi lamang nito naaapektuhan ang ating personal aspects (losing financial resources) pati na rin ang career at relational aspects ay apektado kung saan maraming nasisira dahil sa pagkakaroon ng pathological lying ng isang taong may gambling disorder.
Kaya naman munting paalaala sa lahat, possibilities and chances are always divided into two - the negatives and the positives. Always weigh your decisions and resources. Most of all, be responsible and accountable with whatever outcomes there will be ๐
Reference:
https://www.apa.org/monitor/2023/07/how-gambling-affects-the-brain
