Lithium and other mood-stabilizing medications have been found to be effective as antidepressants to treat anxiety or mood disorders of a gambler. Psychotherapy is another focus for this addiction and is similar to that of depression or substance abuse – a person’s thoughts and behavior. Cognitive behavior therapy might help define the reasons for the gambling addiction and confronts the gambler’s defenses and stop gambling.
Emergency intervention can be used if the pathological gambler is suicidal. For friends and family members, a call to 911 could be made or by just taking the gambler to a hospital emergency room. There are two national self-help groups that deal specifically with gambling addiction.
Gamblers Anonymous is an abstinence-based, 12-step program similar to Alcoholics Anonymous or anyone with a gambling problem can call the National Council on Problem Gambling’s toll-free number. Research suggests that in some cases, compulsive gamblers can recover on their own without treatment.