The Classification of Substance and Behavioural Addictions: A Preliminary Investigation

PG has been identified as a psychiatric disorder in its own right since 1980, and is included within the current DSM (DSM-IV TR; APA, 2000) as an Impulse Control Disorder. The recommendation to re-classify this disorder has been made as a result of the increasing body of literature which reveals a high degree of similarity between SUDS and PG in relation to diagnostic criteria, co-morbidities, biological bases and treatment. With regard to diagnosis, five of the DSMIV TR (APA, 2000) diagnostic criteria for PG are based on SUDS criteria (i.e., interference in life functioning, tolerance, withdrawal, repeated unsuccessful attempts to quit & preoccupation with the drug / gambling: Petry, 2006; Potenza, 2006). There are high rates of co-morbidity between the two disorders, for example, lifetime prevalence rates of PG in SUDS populations are estimated at 14% (Shaffer, Hall & Van der Bilt, 1999), with point prevalence rates between 1013% (Cunningham-Williams, Cottler, Compton, Spitznagel, & Ben-Abdallah, 2000; Langenbucher, Bavly, Labouvie, Sanjuan, & Martin, 2001) compared to general population rates of 0.4-2% (Petry, Stinson, & Grant, 2005). In PG, 70% present with alcohol use disorders and 30% with disorders involving another drug (Petry et al., 2005). In addition, co-occurring mood and anxiety disorders are a common characteristic of SUDS in community and inpatient populations (Adamson, Todd, Sellman, Huriwai, & Porter, 2006; Burns & Teeson, 2002; Goodwin, Fergusson, & Horwood, 2004; Merikangas, Mehta, & Andre D. McLachlan, University of Waikato Nicola J. Starkey, University of Waikato The Classification of Substance and Behavioural Addictions: A Preliminary Investigation