Effects of Gambling on Mental Health

The effects of gambling on mental health can extend far beyond the time spent gambling. When gambling becomes harmful, it can be associated with stress, anxiety, depression, shame, sleep problems and, in some cases, thoughts of suicide or self-harm.

The relationship can also work in both directions. Someone may gamble as a way of responding to difficult emotions or an existing mental health problem, while the consequences of gambling can place further pressure on their mental health.

Recognising this connection is important because gambling-related harm is not simply about losing money. It can affect how you feel, think, sleep, relate to other people and manage everyday life.

How can gambling affect your mental health?

Not everyone who gambles will experience mental health problems. However, as gambling becomes harmful, the emotional and psychological consequences can become increasingly significant.

Current guidance on gambling-related harms identifies potential effects on mental health, self-esteem, self-control and decision-making, as well as conditions such as depression, anxiety and insomnia.

These effects can also interact. Financial difficulties may create anxiety. Trying to hide gambling may contribute to shame and isolation. Poor sleep may make an already difficult situation harder to manage.

Anxiety and persistent worry

Gambling can create considerable uncertainty.

You may be worrying about money you have lost, debts, whether someone will discover your gambling or how you are going to deal with its consequences. If you are repeatedly gambling or chasing losses, those pressures can continue to build.

Anxiety may also have existed before gambling became harmful. This is why it is important not to assume that gambling always caused the mental health problem.

Understanding what came before, what is happening now and how the two may be connected can form part of treatment.

Depression and low mood

Gambling-related harm can also be associated with depression and low mood.

Losses, debt, relationship difficulties, secrecy and feeling unable to change your behaviour can all contribute to emotional distress.

However, the relationship is not always straightforward. Someone may already have been experiencing depression before their gambling escalated. For someone else, their mental health may deteriorate alongside the consequences of gambling.

This is one reason therapy and treatment for gambling addiction may need to consider more than gambling behaviour alone.

Shame, guilt and self-esteem

The effects of gambling on mental health are not limited to diagnosed conditions.

Shame and guilt can become a significant part of gambling-related harm.

You may feel ashamed about the amount you have gambled, money that has been lost, things you have hidden from people close to you or the effect gambling has had on your relationships.

Those feelings can make it harder to tell someone what is happening or ask for help. They can also contribute to isolation, particularly if you are trying to manage the problem without anyone else knowing.

You do not need to have resolved those feelings before talking to someone about your gambling.

Stress and emotional exhaustion

The effects of gambling addiction on mental health can include prolonged stress.

Financial pressure may be combined with repeated attempts to recover losses, arguments at home, difficulties at work or persistent thoughts about gambling.

Even when you are not gambling, you may still be thinking about money you have lost, when you can gamble again or how you will deal with the consequences.

Over time, this can become emotionally exhausting.

Gambling and sleep

Gambling can also affect sleep.

You may stay awake gambling, particularly when gambling online, or find it difficult to switch off because you are worrying about money and other consequences.

Sleep problems can add another layer of difficulty. When you are tired, managing stress, emotions and everyday responsibilities can become harder.

If gambling and worries about gambling are regularly interfering with sleep, this is another effect worth discussing when seeking support.

Can mental health problems also affect gambling?

Yes, mental health problems can affect gambling because the relationship between gambling and mental health can work both ways.

Someone may turn to gambling when they feel distressed, anxious, depressed or overwhelmed. Gambling can provide temporary distraction, but that does not address the underlying difficulty and any resulting losses or other consequences can create further distress.

For some people, this can develop into a cycle: difficult emotions contribute to gambling and the effects of gambling make those emotions harder to manage.

This will not describe everyone’s experience, which is why understanding the individual’s circumstances matters.

Is gambling addiction a mental health condition?

Yes, a gambling disorder is a recognised diagnosable condition.

It involves more than simply gambling regularly or losing money. The American Psychiatric Association describes gambling disorder as repeated and ongoing gambling behaviour that continues despite causing significant problems.

You do not, however, need to diagnose yourself before asking for support.

If gambling is causing harm to your mental health, finances, relationships or everyday life, those effects are important regardless of whether you already have a formal diagnosis.

Gambling, self-harm and suicide risk

Gambling-related harm can, in some circumstances, be associated with suicidal thoughts and behaviour.

This is a serious risk, but it should not be presented as an inevitable consequence of gambling problems.

UK clinical guidance recognises the connection between gambling-related harm and suicide risk and recommends that this risk is assessed directly when someone seeks treatment.

If you feel that you may harm yourself or you are in immediate danger, seek urgent help through emergency or crisis services rather than waiting for a gambling treatment appointment.

How can treatment address gambling and mental health?

Treatment can look beyond the act of gambling itself. Understanding thoughts, feelings, behaviours, triggers and the wider effects gambling has had on someone’s life can help build a clearer picture of what needs to be addressed.

At Retreat by Gordon Moody, our private gambling treatment programme is specifically focused on gambling-related harm.

The programme can run for up to 18 weeks and combines virtual support with two one-week residential treatment stays in the UK.

Treatment approaches include:

• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
• psychodynamic therapy
• trauma-informed care
• individual therapy
• group therapy
• structured recovery planning

For example, CBT for gambling can explore connections between thoughts, feelings and behaviour, while psychodynamic therapy provides a different way of exploring experiences and patterns associated with gambling.

When should you seek help?

You do not have to wait until gambling has reached a particular level before talking to someone. It may be time to seek support if gambling is affecting your mood, sleep, relationships, finances, work or ability to manage everyday life.

You may also find that you have tried to reduce or stop gambling but have found it difficult to maintain that change.

Treatment can provide an opportunity to address both the gambling and the emotional and psychological difficulties surrounding it.

If you are considering private specialist treatment, you can speak to our admissions team confidentially about what has been happening and whether The Retreat may be appropriate for you.

FAQs about the effects of gambling on mental health