Spanish researchers say they identified four kinds of compulsive gamblers, but only oneof the four has a significant concurrent addiction or abuse.
Researchers at Barcelona's University Hospital of Bellvitge and the Autonomous University of Barcelona say types I and II are pathological
gamblers who exhibit problems in controlling their responses, but only type II shows signs of a significant concurrent psycho pathology.
"We need to use different treatments for each sub-group," researcher Susana Jimenez Murcia of the University Hospital of Bellvitge says in a statement.
The four types of gamblers described in the study, published in the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, are:
-- Type I: Disorganized and emotionally unstable people characterized by high degrees of impulsiveness and alcohol and substance abuse.
-- Type II: A schizoid type with high levels of harm avoidance, social distancing and alcohol abuse.
-- Type III: Reward-sensitive, high sensation-seeking and impulsive but without psychopathological alterations.
-- Type IV: High functioning, globally-adapted personalities without substance abuse disorders and no psychopathological alterations.
Jimenez Murcia and colleagues studied personality traits and any associated psychopathology of 1,171 study participants.