Some afflictions don't have scars, don't require the use of needles and have no effect on blood pressure. But they do have the power to wreak havoc on personal lives and drive families apart. These types of afflictions, such as compulsive gambling, can be devastating even though the victim may not show any physical health problems.
Any affliction, physical or psychological, should not be solved simply through drug treatments. Society needs to resolve the cause of the problem rather than developing a quick remedy to treat the effects.
The drug naltrexone recently was shown to reduce the urges of gambling in nearly 75 percent of those monitored in the study. The Food and Drug Administration originally approved naltrexone to treat alcoholism in 1985 and expanded its indications to drug addiction in 1995. The drug regulates neural activity in the area of the brain that processes human cravings.
Naltrexone "treats urges," said Suck Wong Kim, a physician and director of the Impulse Control Disorder Clinic at the University of Minnesota.
Researchers are optimistic about naltrexone's ability to treat gambling addictions but add that although the drug may eliminate the urge for gambling it is just a quick fix.
Just like we cannot expect to kill a tree by only cutting off its branches, we must not ignore the underlying issues behind gambling.
People often turn to gambling as a way to avoid deeper emotional issues.
"Generally people who have disruptive gambling issues are restless and hyperactive, more so than the general population," said William Eadington, University of Nevada-Reno professor of economics and gaming, and director of the Institute of Gambling and Commercial Gaming. "Likely they have a lot of other difficulties in their lives."
But the problem lies deeper than a medical condition. Gambling is not caused by a naltrexone deficiency, just as "headaches are not caused by an aspirin deficiency," University Psychology Prof. Eric Turkheimer said.
Compulsive gamblers require more than an instant cure; they need psychological evaluation.
Organizations, such as Gamblers Anonymous, attempt to tackle the addiction through counseling and psychological treatment.
But they are not as successful as they hope. Gamblers Anonymous has reported success rates as low as 8 percent. The use of naltrexone will further diminish the impact of counseling programs because gamblers would see medication as a substitute for a more long-term solution. Part of any solution should be exploring the root of the problem, which in this case lies in the mind.
If naltrexone becomes available for widespread use, it should be given as part of a treatment program instead of as a stand-alone pill. Doctors treat other psychological afflictions with similar programs that combine drug treatment and mental therapy.
Felicia Campbell, associate professor at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, recently completed a book on the psychology of gambling. Campbell pointed out that doctors treat manic depression with this type of merged treatments.
If the patients' betting ways aren't as appealing after taking the pill, compulsive gamblers would have to deal with their psychological issues in other ways. According to Eadington, gambling is often an outlet for venting frustrations, receiving gratification or satisfying the desire for the "high" similar to those produced by illegal substances.
Naltrexone takes away the urges to gamble by taking away the thrill and adrenaline rush gambling offers.
The presence of drugs like naltrexone indicates a reluctance to dig into the root of a problem. Chemical solutions to these problems do not have long-term effects unless sociological and psychological issues are resolved.
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