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Gambling Disorder in the United Kingdom: key research priorities and the urgent need for independent research funding

Gambling Disorder in the United Kingdom: key research priorities and the urgent need for independent research funding
Gambling Disorder in the United Kingdom: key research priorities and the urgent need for independent research funding
Gambling in the modern era is pervasive due to the variety of gambling opportunities including use of technology (such as online applications on smartphones). While many people gamble recreationally without undue negative impact, a sizable subset of individuals develop disordered gambling, associated with marked functional impairment including other mental health problems, relationship problems, bankruptcy, suicidality and criminality. The National UK Research Network for Behavioural Addictions (NUK-BA) was established to promote understanding, research, and treatments for behavioural addictions including Gambling Disorder, which constitutes the only currently recognized formal ‘behavioural’ addiction. This statement from NUK-BA identifies the current status of research and treatment for disordered gambling in the UK (including funding issues), and key research that must be conducted in order to establish the magnitude of the problem, vulnerability and resilience factors, neurobiology, long-term consequences, and treatment opportunities. In particular, we highlight the need to: 1) Conduct independent longitudinal research on prevalence of disordered gambling (Gambling Disorder and at-risk gambling), and gambling harms, including in vulnerable and minority groups; 2) Select and refine the optimal pragmatic measurement tools; 3) Identify predictors (vulnerability and resilience markers) of disordered gambling in people who gamble recreationally, including in vulnerable and minority groups, longitudinally; 4) Conduct randomised controlled trials (RCTs) on psychological interventions and pharmacotherapy for gambling disorder; 5) Optimise our understanding of the neurobiological basis of Gambling Disorder, including genetics, impulsivity and compulsivity, and biomarkers; and 6) Develop clinical guidelines based upon the best possible contemporary research evidence to guide effective clinical interventions. We also highlight the need to consider what can be learnt from other countries’ approaches towards mitigating gambling-related harms.
disordered gambling, funding, addiction, impulsive, compulsive
2215-0366
Bowden-Jones, Henrietta
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Hook, Roxanne
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Grant, Jon E.
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Ioannidis, Konstantinos
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Corazza, Ornella
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Fineberg, Naomi A.
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Singer, Bryan
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Roberts, Amanda
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Bethlehem, Richard
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Dymond, Simon
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Romero-Garcia, Rafael
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Robbins, Trevor W.
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Cortese, Samuele
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Thomas, Shane A
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Sahakian, Barbara J.
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Dowling, Nicki A
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Chamberlain, Samuel
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Bowden-Jones, Henrietta
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Hook, Roxanne
df1adf71-644e-413d-9b35-71264df83e0c
Grant, Jon E.
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Ioannidis, Konstantinos
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Corazza, Ornella
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Fineberg, Naomi A.
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Singer, Bryan
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Roberts, Amanda
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Bethlehem, Richard
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Dymond, Simon
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Romero-Garcia, Rafael
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Robbins, Trevor W.
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Cortese, Samuele
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Thomas, Shane A
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Sahakian, Barbara J.
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Dowling, Nicki A
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Chamberlain, Samuel
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Bowden-Jones, Henrietta, Hook, Roxanne, Grant, Jon E., Ioannidis, Konstantinos, Corazza, Ornella, Fineberg, Naomi A., Singer, Bryan, Roberts, Amanda, Bethlehem, Richard, Dymond, Simon, Romero-Garcia, Rafael, Robbins, Trevor W., Cortese, Samuele, Thomas, Shane A, Sahakian, Barbara J., Dowling, Nicki A and Chamberlain, Samuel (2022) Gambling Disorder in the United Kingdom: key research priorities and the urgent need for independent research funding. Lancet Psychiatry. (doi:10.1016/ S2215-0366(21)00356-4).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Gambling in the modern era is pervasive due to the variety of gambling opportunities including use of technology (such as online applications on smartphones). While many people gamble recreationally without undue negative impact, a sizable subset of individuals develop disordered gambling, associated with marked functional impairment including other mental health problems, relationship problems, bankruptcy, suicidality and criminality. The National UK Research Network for Behavioural Addictions (NUK-BA) was established to promote understanding, research, and treatments for behavioural addictions including Gambling Disorder, which constitutes the only currently recognized formal ‘behavioural’ addiction. This statement from NUK-BA identifies the current status of research and treatment for disordered gambling in the UK (including funding issues), and key research that must be conducted in order to establish the magnitude of the problem, vulnerability and resilience factors, neurobiology, long-term consequences, and treatment opportunities. In particular, we highlight the need to: 1) Conduct independent longitudinal research on prevalence of disordered gambling (Gambling Disorder and at-risk gambling), and gambling harms, including in vulnerable and minority groups; 2) Select and refine the optimal pragmatic measurement tools; 3) Identify predictors (vulnerability and resilience markers) of disordered gambling in people who gamble recreationally, including in vulnerable and minority groups, longitudinally; 4) Conduct randomised controlled trials (RCTs) on psychological interventions and pharmacotherapy for gambling disorder; 5) Optimise our understanding of the neurobiological basis of Gambling Disorder, including genetics, impulsivity and compulsivity, and biomarkers; and 6) Develop clinical guidelines based upon the best possible contemporary research evidence to guide effective clinical interventions. We also highlight the need to consider what can be learnt from other countries’ approaches towards mitigating gambling-related harms.

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final Lancet 10.8.2021 - Accepted Manuscript
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Accepted/In Press date: 10 August 2021
e-pub ahead of print date: 15 February 2022
Published date: 17 March 2022
Additional Information: HB is the director of the National Problem Gambling clinic and the national centre for gaming disorders. These clinics have received funding from NHS England, CNWL NHS Trust, and GambleAware. HB is the President of the Psychiatry Section at the Royal Society of Medicine and sits on several national and international Boards. HB has been on research teams funded by the Medical Research Council, the Wellcome Trust, and the Wolfson Family Trust. SRC’s role in this paper was funded by a Clinical Fellowship from the Wellcome Trust (reference 110049/Z/15/Z & 110049/Z/15/A). SRC consults for Promentis on work unrelated to the content of this paper. SRC also receives stipends from Elsevier for editorial work at Comprehensive Psychiatry, and at Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews. JEG has received research grants from Biohaven, Promentis, and Otsuka Pharmaceuticals. JEG receives yearly compensation from Springer Publishing for acting as Editor in Chief of the Journal of Gambling Studies and has received royalties from Oxford University Press, American Psychiatric Publishing, Norton Press, and McGraw Hill. SC declares honoraria and reimbursement for travel and accommodation expenses for lectures from the following non profit associations: Association for Child and Adolescent Central Health Policywww.thelancet.com/psychiatry Vol 9 April 2022 327 Health, Canadian ADHD Alliance Resource, British Association of Pharmacology, and Healthcare Convention for educational activity on ADHD. OC has received royalties from Routledge, Springer, and Elsevier for editorial duties and advises the UK Parliament and the United Nations on addiction related matters. OC held various research grants from the European Union, World Anti Doping Agency, and University of Hertfordshire. SAT has received royalties from Elsevier and research grants from the National Health and Medical Research Council, Australian Research Council, and the Victorian and Australian Governments. SD has received funding from GambleAware and is the Director of the Gambling Research, Education and Treatment Network Wales, which is funded by the Welsh Government through Health and Care Research Wales. BJS consults for Cambridge Cognition, Greenfield Bioventures, and Cassava Sciences. BJS’s research is funded by Eton College and the Wallitt Foundation, and is conducted within the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) MedTech and in vitro diagnostic Co operative, and the NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre Mental Health Theme. In the past 3 years NAF has held research or networking grants from the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP), UK NIHR, EU H2020 (COST), Medical Research Council, and University of Hertfordshire. In the past 3 years NAF has accepted travel and hospitality expenses from the British Association for Pharmacology, ECNP, Royal College of Psychiatrists, CINP, International Forum of Mood and Anxiety Disorders, World Psychiatric Association, Indian Association for Biological Psychiatry, and Sun. In the past 3 years NAF has received payment from Taylor and Francis and Elsevier for editorial duties and has accepted paid speaking engagements sponsored by Abbott and Sun. Previously, NAF has accepted paid speaking engagements in symposia supported by various pharmaceutical companies and has recruited patients for various pharmaceutical industry sponsored studies in the field of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) treatment. NAF leads an NHS treatment service for OCD and holds Board membership for various registered charities linked to OCD. NAF gives expert advice on psychopharmacology to the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. NAD reports research funding from multiple sources, including government departments (through hypothecated taxes from gambling revenue), and is the recipient of a Deakin University Faculty of Health Mid Career Fellowship. TWR consults for Cambridge Cognition, Takeda, Greenfield Bioventures, Cassava, Shionogi, Heptares, Arcadia. TWR reports grants from GlaxoSmithKline, Shionogi Royalties, and Cambridge Cognition; and Editorial Honoraria from Springer Nature and Elsevier. The rest of the authors declared no competing interests. Acknowledgments This research was conducted through the National UK Network for Behavioural Addictions (NUK BA) led by SRC and HB. This publication is based upon work from European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) Action CA16207 “European Network for Problematic Usage of the Internet”, supported by COST.
Keywords: disordered gambling, funding, addiction, impulsive, compulsive

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 450916
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/450916
ISSN: 2215-0366
PURE UUID: f1a67f95-36be-4b5c-9942-7640b9b0df7d
ORCID for Samuele Cortese: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-5877-8075
ORCID for Samuel Chamberlain: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-7014-8121

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Date deposited: 20 Aug 2021 16:37
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 06:46

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Contributors

Author: Henrietta Bowden-Jones
Author: Roxanne Hook
Author: Jon E. Grant
Author: Konstantinos Ioannidis
Author: Ornella Corazza
Author: Naomi A. Fineberg
Author: Bryan Singer
Author: Amanda Roberts
Author: Richard Bethlehem
Author: Simon Dymond
Author: Rafael Romero-Garcia
Author: Trevor W. Robbins
Author: Samuele Cortese ORCID iD
Author: Shane A Thomas
Author: Barbara J. Sahakian
Author: Nicki A Dowling
Author: Samuel Chamberlain ORCID iD

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