Military Personnel: DOD and the Coast Guard Need to Screen for Gambling Disorder Addiction and Update Guidance

Abstract

The American Psychiatric Associations 2013 edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders defines gambling disorder as persistent and recurrent problematic gambling behavior leading to clinically significant impairment or distress. Public Law 114-92 included a provision for GAO to review gambling among members of the armed forces. This report (1) describes what is known about the prevalence of gambling disorder among servicemembers in DOD and the CG; (2) assesses DODs and the CGs approaches to screening, diagnosing, and treating servicemembers for gambling disorder; and (3) evaluates the extent to which DOD and CG guidance address gambling disorder in a manner similar to substance-use disorders. GAO analyzed DODs most recent data related to gambling disorder prevalence (fiscal years 20112015) and DOD and CG policies.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 2017
Accession Number
AD1025540

Entities

Organizations

  • United States Government Accountability Office

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Anxiety Disorders
  • Congress
  • Department Of Veterans Affairs
  • Health Care
  • Health Services
  • Homeland Security
  • Impulse Control Disorders
  • Law
  • Medical Personnel
  • Mental Disorders
  • Military Medicine
  • Military Personnel
  • National Security
  • Personnel Management
  • Psychiatry
  • Therapy
  • United States Government

Fields of Study

  • Medicine
  • Psychology

Readers

  • Child and Adolescent Substance Abuse Science in Autism Spectrum Disorders.
  • Defense Acquisition Program Management
  • Gulf War Illness and Chronic Multisymptom Illness in Veterans.