When Will The GP's Catch Up?

 

BBC Radio 5 has been speaking with doctors from The Royal College regarding the issue of addictive gambling, they have been told that the problem is growing enormously, but not many doctors are aware that their patients have a problem with gambling, and when they do, do not have much idea as how to go about treating them once they present with their symptoms.

 

When people go to the doctors presenting with depression, they will often cite financial difficulties, but this rarely leads to questions regarding their gambling habits- it’s not a part of the social conscience enough to come to mind straight away. Dr C Gerada, the vice-chair of the colleges has said that many doctors miss "the vast majority of individuals with problems... and, in particular, when patients present with debt problems, no-one would ask 'do you have scratch cards, do you bet on the horses on a regular basis?'"

 

She goes on to state that General Practitioners need to become more aware of the problem, learning to recognise the symptoms and the take sufficient intervening steps in order to help patients.

 

Dr Gerada is being supported in her claims by the charity GamCare, who help people with gambling problems. GamCare have said that the number of people who are currently receiving help is set only at about 1% of all those who have a gambling problem.

 

 

The story of John Sachet is one of hope; he happens to be one of the 1% who did manage to get help, here is his story:

 

He worked in the City, all day long, all day everyday 365, 24/7 (it’s true, he really did work that hard), but somehow he still found time to become a compulsive gambler- these city folk, they never stop.

 

Anyway, he began gambling, a flutter here, a flitter there....until eventually he was wagering more than five times his earnings- horses, dogs, football...all the usual suspects were there.

 

As you can imagine, the toll on his finances was huge, he lost his house(s- city folk and there multiplexes!), business(es), job(s).

 

His thoughts were muddled; his dreams consisted of slot machines and specially modified pin-ball machines (rigged up to massive jackpots). He began to think he could make a living out of gambling, the big win was just around the corner......shame he didn’t see the bus. It turned out that gambling was one of life’s slow car-crashes, and that’s what his life had become- no possessions, just living for today, his life had become a John Lennon song- and at that point he knew he needed Help!

 

He went to his GP, but was told that he was depressed; his hands were shaking, he was crying: he had a classic case of the dreaded ‘Black Dog’, or so his GP assumed. A course of Prozac later, he returned to the GP, again with the same symptoms, the Prozac had done nothing to help his gambling habit...the doctor asked all the right questions “do you have a drug habit, an alcohol habit?” but he never once asked whether he had a problem gambling.

 

After months of returning to the doctor, the underlying problem was finally discovered- it was a shame that it wasn’t realised earlier, before his life turned to rubble.

 

He finally got the help he needed by phoning the GamCare hotline who then told him where he could seek help. He booked himself into a residential unit for people with gambling addictions where they helped him to overcome his problems.

Andy McLellan, the chief executive of GamCare, has said that over the past decade the issue of gambling has become more familiar to GP’s and they are beginning to look out for signs, but they have not caught up sufficiently as yet:

 

"They themselves are not particularly aware of the issues to do with problem gambling, and perhaps the connections with some of the symptoms they may be seeing," says Andy.

 

"Secondly, a few GPs may be also thinking: 'If I find out they have a gambling problem, I actually don't know what to do with them.'

 

"So I think the important thing is for us to improve the awareness of GPs and put their patients in touch with us."

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