In this study, the researchers investigated the proportion of veterans that have gambling disorder (GD). They also explored whether veterans with GD are more likely to have other medical and mental health problems. The researchers reviewed electronic medical records of 260 veterans who attended the Bedford VAMC Primary Care Behavioral Health (PCBH) clinic for the first time. The researchers found that about one-third of the veterans gambled in the past year. There were no differences in mental health, medical issues, or drug and alcohol addictions between veterans who gambled in the past year and veterans who did not gamble. About 2% of the veterans they studied were at risk of or actually had GD. Policy makers can use this research to work with treatment service providers to ensure people with high risk are screened for GD (e.g., people with alcohol addiction, PTSD, relationship, and money problems).
