Pathological gambling and substance use disorders.

BACKGROUND

Pathological gambling (CPG) has been considered as a behavioral addiction having similarities with substance use disorders (SUDs).

OBJECTIVES AND

METHODS

Current conceptualizations of addiction, as well as experimental studies of PG and SUDs, are reviewed in order to provide a perspective on tbe areas of convergence between addictive behaviors in PG and SUDs.

RESULTS

Shared features exist in diagnostic, clinical, physiological, and behavioral domains. CONCLUSIONS AND SCIELLTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE: Similarities between PG and SUDs have important implicatiol1s for categorizing, assessing, preventing and treating both PO and SUDs.