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This paper reviews recent research on co-morbidity and problem gambling.This paper reviews the evidence for the prevalence of common comorbid disorders (alcohol and substance use,nicotine dependence,anxiety,depression and personality disorders) and pathological gambling(PG).
Methods:A systematic search was conducted of 6 for published peer-reviewed articles between January 1st 1998 and October 5th 2009.Only studies which examined the prevalence of comorbid conditions and PG in a general population sample were included.Meta-analysis techniques were performed on the included studies to determine the mean effect size.
Results:A total of 8 studies were identified from the literature.The results indicatedthat pathological gamblers have elevated prevalence rates for a range of comorbiddisorders with the highest prevalence rate for nicotine dependence,followed byalcohol use,substance use, mood disorders,anxiety disorders and antisocialpersonality disorder.
Conclusions:Pathological gamblers experience high levels of other comorbid mentalhealth disorders and should be screened for comorbidities upon entering treatment.However,future research is required to determine the underlying cause of variabilitypresent in the prevalence estimates.