The DOI matches its Crossref record, with a small difference in title or year; 186 of the 187 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Gambling Disorder and Other Behavioral Addictions: Recognition and Treatment
Open accessAbstract
Addiction professionals and the public are recognizing that certain nonsubstance behaviors--such as gambling, Internet use, video-game playing, sex, eating, and shopping--bear resemblance to alcohol and drug dependence. Growing evidence suggests that these behaviors warrant consideration as nonsubstance or "behavioral" addictions and has led to the newly introduced diagnostic category "Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders" in DSM-5. At present, only gambling disorder has been placed in this category, with insufficient data for other proposed behavioral addictions to justify their inclusion. This review summarizes recent advances in our understanding of behavioral addictions, describes treatment considerations, and addresses future directions. Current evidence points to overlaps between behavioral and substance-related addictions in phenomenology, epidemiology, comorbidity, neurobiological mechanisms, genetic contributions, responses to treatments, and prevention efforts. Differences also exist. Recognizing behavioral addictions and developing appropriate diagnostic criteria are important in order to increase awareness of these disorders and to further prevention and treatment strategies.
Overview
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Verification
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
The cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“Both pharmacological and psychological treatments have been suggested, similar to what is recommended for gambling disorder and other behavioral addictions (e.g., Grant et al., 2013;Yau and Potenza, 2015), and initial studies suggest varying degrees of efficacy (Cash et al., 2012;Santos et al., 2016;Winkler et al., 2013;Young, 2013).”
From Integrating psychological and neurobiological considerations regarding the development and maintenance of specific Internet-use disorders: An Interaction of Person-Affect-Cognition-Execution (I-PACE) model (2016) · cites this paper as Yau and Potenza, 2015
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
Citations
Cites
Koob, G. F., & Volkow, N. D. (2010) · Neuropsychopharmacology · doi:10.1038/npp.2009.110 · Cited by 5,340
Neural systems of reinforcement for drug addiction: from actions to habits to compulsion
Everitt, B. J., & Robbins, T. W. (2005) · Nature Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/nn1579 · Cited by 3,785
(1987) · American Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1176/ajp.144.9.1184 · Cited by 2,948
A pathways model of problem and pathological gambling
Blaszczynski, A., & Nower, L. (2002) · Addiction · doi:10.1046/j.1360-0443.2002.00015.x · Cited by 2,013
Chambers, R. A., Taylor, J. R., & Potenza, M. N. (2003) · American Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.160.6.1041 · Cited by 1,719
Self-citationVerdejo‐García, A., Lawrence, A. J., & Clark, L. (2008) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2007.11.003 · Cited by 1,502
Dopamine D2 receptors in addiction-like reward dysfunction and compulsive eating in obese rats
Johnson, P. M., & Kenny, P. J. (2010) · Nature Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/nn.2519 · Cited by 1,495
Impulse Control Disorders in Parkinson Disease
Weintraub, D. A., Koester, J., Potenza, M. N., Siderowf, A. D., Stacy, M. A., Voon, V., Whetteckey, J., Wunderlich, G. R., & Lang, A. E. (2010) · Archives of Neurology · doi:10.1001/archneurol.2010.65 · Cited by 1,493
Self-citationFarde, L. (1992) · Archives of General Psychiatry · doi:10.1001/archpsyc.1992.01820070032005 · Cited by 1,420
Pathological Video Game Use Among Youths: A Two-Year Longitudinal Study
Gentile, D. A., Choo, H., Liau, A., Sim, T., Li, D., Fung, D., & Khoo, A. (2011) · Pediatrics · doi:10.1542/peds.2010-1353 · Cited by 1,314
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Items 201–267 of 267
Implications of genetic attributions for addiction among addiction professionals
Lebowitz, M. S., Rattenni, R. N., & Sorge, S. T. (2024) · Journal of Psychiatric Research · doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2024.09.050 · Cited by 1
Kwak, M. J., Choi, S. J., Cai, W. T., Cho, B. R., Han, J., Park, J. W., Riecken, L. B., Morrison, H., Choi, S.-Y., Kim, W. Y., et al. (2024) · Progress in Neurobiology · doi:10.1016/j.pneurobio.2024.102681 · Cited by 2
Molecular imaging of impulse control disorders in Parkinson’s disease
Majuri, J., & Joutsa, J. (2019) · European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging · doi:10.1007/s00259-019-04459-5 · Cited by 1
Zwischen Schaden und Nutzen – Elektronische Medien im Vorschulalter
Mall, V., & Paulus, F. W. (2021) · ergopraxis · doi:10.1055/a-1420-4426 · Cited by 1
Poremecaj kockanja - prevencija medu adolescentima
Sveuciliste u Zagrebu, M. F., Tomašić, L., Petrović, Z. K., Sveuciliste u Zagrebu, M. F., & Klinika za psihijatriju Vrapce, Z. (2022) · Socijalna psihijatrija · doi:10.24869/spsih.2021.179 · Cited by 1
The challenge of conducting gambling research
Black, D. W. (2016) · BJPsych Open · doi:10.1192/bjpo.bp.116.002949 · Cited by 1
Harro, J., & O’Leary, A. (2022) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-92392-1_108 · Cited by 2
An evaluation of gambling addiction and video lottery in the South of Italy
Spataro, P., Visalli, G., Mazzù, F., Cosenza, B., Palamara, M. A. R., Campanella, G., Picerno, I., Squeri, R., Fauci, V. L., & Genovese, C. (2022) · Epidemiology Biostatistics and Public Health · doi:10.2427/12983
Current trends in the development of virtual addiction: impulse control disorder and escaping
Lysenko, O. (2019) · Fundamental and applied researches in practice of leading scientific schools · doi:10.33531/farplss.2019.6.3
“Подібні повідомлення створюють підґрунтя для доцільності досліджень лікарських засобів на основі серотонінергічного механізму дії в галузі лікування розладів поведінкових залежностей [28].”
Chapitre 7. Troubles neuropsychiatriques
Lussier, F., Chevrier, E., & Gascon, L. (2018) · Dunod eBooks · doi:10.3917/dunod.lussi.2018.01.0633
The Preponderance of Psychic Elements in Drug Addiction
Moreno-Flórez, D. (2020) · The Psychoanalytic Review · doi:10.1521/prev.2020.107.5.473
Mudry, T., Strong, T., Doyle, E. M., & Sapacz, M. (2020) · Canadian Journal of Counselling and Psychotherapy · doi:10.47634/cjcp.v54i4.61222
Problem Gambling Among Post-Secondary Students and Student-Athletes
Marcinkevics, D. (2020) · ERA: Education and Research Archive (University of Alberta) · doi:10.7939/r3-0wk3-ec15
Sugrue, D. (2021) · Psychiatry update · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-86430-9_11
Shaffer, H. J., & Shaffer, P. M. (2021) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-323-91497-0.00001-1
Harro, J., & O’Leary, A. (2022) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-67928-6_108-1
PRACTICE TESTS ANSWER KEY (CHAPTER 14)
(2022) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-323-75486-6.00025-4
Hofstedt, A., Mide, M., Arvidson, E., Ljung, S., Lindskog, A., Mattiasson, J., & Gordh, A. S. (2022) · Research Square · doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-2273074/v1
Contemporary Issues in Couple and Marriage Therapy
(2023) · Springer Publishing Company eBooks · doi:10.1891/9780826187758.0006
A Case Report: Is There a Drug-Induced Gambling Disorder?
Akbar, A., & Amin, M. M. (2023) · Advances in health sciences research/Advances in Health Sciences Research · doi:10.2991/978-94-6463-120-3_23
Psychological and Psychiatric Workup
Tonelli, H. A., & Tonelli, A. (2023) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-25828-2_10
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy of Addictive Disorders
Cano, M. N. (2023) · Journal of Social Work Practice in the Addictions · doi:10.1080/1533256x.2023.2283970
“…for substance use and other addictive disorders represent a public health priority, and cognitive-behavioral therapy, or CBT, is recognized as a model therapy with documented effectiveness in the treatment of these disorders (Hofmann et al., 2012; Magill et al., 2019; Yau & Potenza, 2015).”
BackgroundWu, Y., Ono, K., & Watanabe, M. (2023) · International Journal of Affective Engineering · doi:10.5057/ijae.ijae-d-23-00004
Disruptive, Impulse-Control, and Conduct Disorders
Bains, A., & Sanders, K. M. (2024) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-443-11844-9.00023-0
Dhingra, I. (2024) · Global International Research Thoughts · doi:10.36676/girt.v12.i1.02
Blum, K., Han, D. C., Bowirrat, A., Downs, B. W., Bagchi, D., Thanos, P. K., Baron, D. A., Braverman, E. R., Dennen, C. A., Giordano, J., et al. (2024) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-323-95735-9.00028-0
The licensing effect in gambling choice: A daily diary studyPreprint
Wu, R., & Clark, L. (2024) · doi:10.31234/osf.io/u5hdf · Cited by 1
Identification of Users in a Gambling Problem with the Use of Machine Learning
Jach, T., Probierz, B., Kozák, J. T., Stefański, P., Dziczkowski, G., Hrabia, A., Juszczuk, P., Głowania, S., Wołek, G., Sznapka, W., et al. (2024) · Lecture notes in computer science · doi:10.1007/978-981-97-4985-0_21
Adapting counter-gambling advertising to the Indonesian context: a call to action
Sudirham, S., & Sari, T. B. (2024) · Journal of Public Health · doi:10.1093/pubmed/fdae221
González Álvarez, S., Ruiz Narezo, M., & Solabarrieta Eizaguirre, J. (2024) · Revista Española de Drogodependencias · doi:10.54108/10095
González Álvarez, S., Ruiz Narezo, M., & Solabarrieta Eizaguirre, J. (2024) · Revista Española de Drogodependencias · doi:10.54108/10094
Vana, N., Gavriel‐Fried, B., & Itzhaki‐Braun, Y. (2025) · Journal of Community Psychology · doi:10.1002/jcop.23184
Kim, J., & Chun, J. (2025) · International Journal of Mental Health · doi:10.1080/00207411.2025.2486198
“…becomes extremely important when the study involves participants with addictive behaviors because individuals with addictive behaviors exhibit impulsive, sensation-seeking, or low-harm-avoidant behaviors, which could directly impact the outcome of the targeted behaviors (Yau & Potenza, 2015).”
Gomis-Vicent, E., Turner, J. J., Nitsche, M. A., Rivolta, D., & Thoma, V. (2025) · Addictive Behaviors · doi:10.1016/j.addbeh.2025.108358
The licensing effect in gambling choice: a daily diary study
Wu, R., & Clark, L. (2025) · Addiction Research & Theory · doi:10.1080/16066359.2025.2486964
“Gambling disorder was the first non-substance-related condition to be recognized as addictive (Yau and Potenza 2015; Petry et al. 2018) and shares addictive elements with both substances and emerging digital technologies such as video games and social media (Potenza 2008; Clark and Zack 2023).”
Prevalence of internet use disorder among undergraduate medical college students
Bhatia, D., Mishra, S., & Kumar, S. (2025) · International Journal of Research in Psychiatry · doi:10.22271/27891623.2025.v5.i1a.72
Salahian, A., Khosroshahi, Z. G., Wagner, J. L., & Young, J. R. (2025) · Journal of Addictive Diseases · doi:10.1080/10550887.2025.2464328
“14 15–18 The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) has become the subject of particular attention for gambling addiction researchers, largely in part because of the preclinical and neuroimaging studies that have shown damage to the PFC causing loss of inhibitory control, a crucial aspect of…”
Neurobiological Basis of Gaming Behavior
de Aguiar, F. O., Veiga, D. D. L., Gaiotto, L. A. V., Almeida, T. M., de Oliveira, R. L., & Uchida, R. R. (2025) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-032-00325-6_2
Childhood trauma, complex PTSD, and severity of online sports betting in French bettors
d’Agostino, M., Tessier, S., Zerhouni, O., & Romo, L. (2025) · European Journal of Trauma & Dissociation · doi:10.1016/j.ejtd.2025.100602
Falise, A. M., Cheon, Y., Lopez‐Quintero, C., & Vaddiparti, K. (2025) · Journal of Gambling Studies · doi:10.1007/s10899-025-10439-2
Crivelli, D., Losasso, D., Riccardi, S., Scaramuzzino, M. F., Zita, G., & Balconi, M. (2025) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1677401
“…prefrontal-striatal disconnection, the extent and nature of memory-related dysfunctions may be modulated by the presence or absence of neurotoxic substance exposure (Potenza, 2008; Gouzoulis-Mayfrank and Daumann, 2009; Yau and Potenza, 2015; Weinstein, 2017; Brand et al., 2019; Uhl et al., 2019).”
Binge-watching jako problemowe oglądanie seriali wśród młodych dorosłych
Rodzeń, W. (2025) · Rozprawy i Studia - Uniwersytet Szczeciński · doi:10.18276/978-83-8419-010-4
Zdunek, G., Recław, R., Suchanecka, A., Chmielowiec, K., Larysz, D., Kuczak-Wójtowicz, M., Łosińska, K. W., Chmielowiec, J., & Grzywacz, A. (2025) · Life · doi:10.3390/life15121836
“Most prior work has focused on isolated forms of addiction (e.g., gambling or alcohol use disorder) [5,6,18], limiting our understanding of how COMT variation operates across over-lapping addictive behaviors.”
Szerman, N., Ferre, F., Balhara, Y. P. S., Campos, M. W., Danon, P., Vega, P., Basurte-Villamor, I., Zhao, M., & Baler, R. (2026) · International Journal of Psychiatry in Clinical Practice · doi:10.1080/13651501.2026.2621881
How Are Human Needs Relevant to Well-Being?
Hill, C. T., & Aydın, K. B. (2026) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-032-06431-8_3
Muela, I., Aonso-Diego, G., & Estévez, A. (2026) · Journal of Gambling Studies · doi:10.1007/s10899-026-10481-8
“…among individuals with GD, particularly in treatment-seeking samples, and indicate that comorbid profiles tend to be associated with greater gambling severity and poorer treatment outcomes (Lorains et al., 2011; Rash et al., 2016; Sharma & Weinstein, 2025; Tang et al., 2020; Yau & Potenza, 2015 ).”
Therapeutic prospects of bright light therapy in addictive disorders: a scoping review
Rolland, B., Salihi, I., Mauries, S., Medigue, I., Catoire, S., Peter‐Derex, L., & Geoffroy, P. A. (2026) · Journal of Neural Transmission · doi:10.1007/s00702-026-03131-1
Bases génétiques des troubles du contrôle des impulsions dans la maladie de Parkinson
Bekadar, S. (2021) · theses.fr (ABES) · doi:10.70675/2479c7b7zf902z4f82zb884z73019fdf9661
The social costs of gambling in Central Asia: insights from Kazakhstan’s addiction crisis
Urinboyev, R., Buribayev, Y. A., & Kaldiyarov, D. A. (2026) · Central Asian Survey · doi:10.1080/02634937.2026.2649958
Chesley, J., & Smith, M. (2026) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-57159-6_43-1
Development and validation of a short doomscrolling scale
Kazun, A. D. (2026) · Moscow University Journalism Bulletin · doi:10.55959/msu.vestnik.journ.1.2026.335
Basurte-Villamor, I., Gómez-Talal, I., Vega, P., Azizsoltani, M., Gonzalez-Peñas, J., Ferre, F., & Szerman, N. (2026) · International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research · doi:10.1002/mpr.70078
“Such addictions involve compulsive behavior related to gambling, shopping, eating, or sex (Yau and Potenza 2015).”
Weng, X., Deng, Y., Xia, Y., Wang, J., Chan, S. S.-C., & Zhao, S. Z. (2026) · Journal of Gambling Studies · doi:10.1007/s10899-026-10514-2
“Although cigarette card games differ in that children usually know what cards they have obtained, they similarly involve uncertainty during gameplay, as children risk their own cards for the chance of winning more, with outcomes largely dependent on luck rather than skill (Yau & Potenza, 2015).”
Côté, M., Hardy, K., Blanchette-Martin, N., Gatineau, C., & Tremblay, J. (2026) · Substance Abuse Treatment Prevention and Policy · doi:10.1186/s13011-026-00739-0
“Although very few studies specifically address the experience of CSOs whose loved one has screen-related addiction [4, 13, 14], several similarities have been identified across substance use, gambling, and screen-related addictions [15–18].”
Dissociation of decision-making from escalated drug intake within a long-access model
Stephens, M., & Beckmann, J. S. (2026) · Behavioural Brain Research · doi:10.1016/j.bbr.2026.116344
Ioniţă, I., Mușat, M. I., Cătălin, B., Luțescu, D. A., Ciobanu, C. A., & Ciobanu, A. M. (2026) · Clinics and Practice · doi:10.3390/clinpract16070122
Brazeau, B. W., Cunningham, J. A., & Hodgins, D. C. (2026) · International Gambling Studies · doi:10.1080/14459795.2026.2697447
Ballerio, M., Minoretti, P., & Emanuele, E. (2026) · Clinics and Practice · doi:10.3390/clinpract16080137 · Cited by 1
“The conceptual architecture inherited from this framing has assigned the clinical care of the patient almost exclusively to addiction psychiatry [6] and to the structures of mental health [7], and has shaped the trajectory of research and treatment over the last two decades.”
Aslan, H., & Topçu, F. (2026) · Cyprus Turkish Journal of Psychiatry and Psychology · doi:10.35365/ctjpp.26.3.26
Raffoul, J. J., Morris, E., Niu, K. L., & Martin, P. R. (2026) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-57159-6_46-2
Uzbay, T. (2026) · Journal of Public Health Policy · doi:10.1057/s41271-026-00662-5
Yılmazer, E., Çınaroğlu, M., Ülker, S. V., & Tarlacı, S. (2026) · Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnbeh.2026.1707261
State of the Science on Ultra-processed Foods and the Ultra-processed Food Addiction Construct
LaFata, E. M., Juarascio, A. S., Butryn, M. L., Hagerman, C. J., & Forman, E. M. (2026) · Current Obesity Reports · doi:10.1007/s13679-026-00758-9
“Gambling disorder entered the DSM-5’s new Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders category in 2013 as the first behavioral addiction, based on overlap with substance-use disorders in phenomenology, neurobiology, comorbidity, and treatment response [70 ].”
Ekenna, A., Dekel, D., Engward, H., Godier-McBard, L. R., Kay, C., Kersey, T., Fossey, M. J., & Dymond, S. (2026) · Journal of Military Veteran and Family Health · doi:10.3138/jmvfh-2025-0098
Crossing the Lines: Common Pathways Linking Eating Disorders and Behavioral Addictions
Mestre‐Bach, G., Giménez-Garrido, R., García, R. R., Fernández‐Aranda, F., & Jiménez‐Múrcia, S. (2026) · Current Addiction Reports · doi:10.1007/s40429-026-00777-5
Exploring obesity in behavioral addictions: a neglected field and new empirical insights
Mestre‐Bach, G., Camacho‐Barcia, L., Gaspar‐Pérez, A., Man, N. R., Amezcua, A. G., Torres, F., Potenza, M. N., Jiménez‐Múrcia, S., & Fernández‐Aranda, F. (2026) · Reviews in Endocrine and Metabolic Disorders · doi:10.1007/s11154-026-10100-2
Self-citation
Metadata
- Authors
- Yau, Y. H. C., & Potenza, M. N.
- Affiliations
- Yale University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Potenza, Marc N.
- Venue
- Harvard Review of Psychiatry
- Published
- 2015-03
- Volume
- 23
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 134-146
- ISSN
- 1067-3229 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC4458066
- OpenAlex
- W2096389535
- Cited by
- 267
- References
- 187
- Citations by year
- 2026: 26 · 2025: 33 · 2024: 31 · 2023: 34 · 2022: 31 · 2021: 26 · 2020: 22 · 2019: 21 · 2018: 18 · 2017: 7 · 2016: 15 · 2015: 3
- FWCI
- 2.04
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Harvard Review of Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute on Drug Abuse (R01DA018647, P50DA009241, R01DA035058, P20DA027844)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Gambling Behavior and Treatments
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Impact of Technology on Adolescents
- Keywords
- gambling addiction, behavioral addiction, DSM-5, substance-related and addictive disorders, comorbidities, neurobiology of addiction, genetic contribution, treatment, prevention, internet addiction, sexual addiction, eating disorders, compulsive buying, gaming addiction
- MeSH terms
- Gambling, Humans, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Behavior, Addictive, Internet, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review