The long and winding road to gambling disorder treatment

Background:  It is often noted that treatment-seeking rates among people with gambling problems are low.  A better understanding of the recovery process might provide clues to structuring treatment options to maximize their impact.
Methods:  A Canadian national survey of people who gamble regular (N = 10,000) assessed problem gambling status, and details of past year change attempts.  A survey of people in treatment  across Canada (N= 65) obtained descriptions of their trajectories toward recovery. 
Results The national survey revealed that a surprisingly large number of people with gambling problems made a serious attempt to change in the year before the survey.  Over 90% of those reporting a change attempt indicated that these attempts were personal (“I did it on my own”) but a significant minority reported that they sought help from family or friends, professionals such as physicians and clergy or specialized gambling treatment services. This presentation will review differences in people’s reasons for choosing different options between people who seek help from different sources, as well as what they find helpful in each option. We will also present information from the treatment study including how individuals  learned about their treatment options, their previous treatment experiences, and the trajectories they followed. 
Conclusions: Our goal is to develop a nuanced understanding of the diverse paths people follow in seeking help for gambling-related issues.