Gambling disorder may increase the risk of suicide in patients with depression

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Author(s): Jolly, Taranjeet ; Trivedi, Chintan ; Adnan, Mahwish ; Mansuri, Zeeshan ; Agarwal, Vishesh

Journal: Addictive Behaviours

Year Published: 2021

Date Added: May 18, 2021

Many people suffer from Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). MDD is linked to lower quality of life and an increased risk of suicide. There is also a strong link between problem gambling and MDD, as well as between problem gambling and suicide. In this study, the researchers looked at data from hospital patients with MDD in the United States. They compared patients who had MDD and gambling disorder to those who only had MDD. They found that patients who had both MDD and gambling disorder were more likely to be male, be older, be obese, and have alcohol use issues. They were also more likely to have suicidal thoughts or have attempted suicide. The researchers also found that the number of patients with both MDD and gambling disorder decreased from 2006 to 2017. However, the number of suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts in patients with MDD and gambling disorder increased from 2006 to 2017. Thus, gambling disorder appears to increase the risk of suicidal behaviours in patients with MDD.

Citation: Jolly, T., Trivedi, C., Adnan, M., Mansuri, Z., & Agarwal, V. (2021). Gambling in patients with major depressive disorder is associated with an elevated risk of suicide: Insights from 12-years of nationwide inpatient sample data. Addictive Behaviors, 118, 106872. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2021.106872

Article DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2021.106872

Keywords: depression ; Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) ; pathological gambling ; suicide

Topics: Anxiety and Depression ; Comorbidities ; Suicide

Conceptual Framework Factors: Psychological - Comorbid Disorders ; Psychological Factors

Study Design: Observational: Cross-sectional

Geographic Coverage: United States of America

Study Population: People who were at least 18 years old and were admitted to community hospitals in the US for major depressive disorder between 2006 and 2017 ( N = 4,027,709 patient visits, n =6646 with a primary diagnosis of major depressive disorder and a secondary diagnosis of gambling disorder, n = 4,021,063 with major depressive disorder and no gambling disorder)

Sampling Procedure: The researchers used data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) dataset for the years of 2006–2017. This dataset is a survey of state hospitalizations that contains information from 20% of discharges from community hospitals from 47 states of the USA. It is the largest inpatient database in the U.S., and contains both national and regional information of inpatient care access, charges, quality, and outcomes.

Study Funding:

No funding was declared.