|
Rise due to increased awareness of condition, not casinos, say experts
 THE number of problem gamblers seeking medical treatment and counselling has been on the rise in recent years.
Last year, they made up 17 per cent of the patients seen at the National Addictions Management Service (Nams) clinic, up from 10 per cent in 2008 and 5 per cent in 2007.
Nams treats about 2,000 patients a year, with problem gambling among the top three addictions.
The other two are drug and alcohol addictions, which form about 80 per cent of Nams’ caseload. The clinic also treats people who are addicted to sex and online gaming, among others.
The majority of the gambling addicts counselled by Nams are men in their early 20s to mid-30s. But in recent months, it has seen more men in their 50s and 60s seeking help, according to Ms Lim Hui Khim, its deputy head of counselling.
The figures were released at the official opening of Nams’ dedicated clinic at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) in Buangkok Green yesterday.
Among those who have sought help from Nams is a 33-year-old recovering gambling addict who wanted to be known only as Mr Lim.
The property agent was referred to the service by a polyclinic at the start of last year when he found himself $200,000 in debt and had strained relations with his family members because of gambling.
After attending group and individual counselling sessions over several months, Mr Lim, who has not gambled since January last year, said his relationship with his family has improved tremendously.
“Nams is a place where there’s someone you have to be accountable to, and the sessions have taught me to identify signs of relapse, so I can prevent myself from gambling again,” he said.
Nams was set up in 2008 by the IMH, building upon the Community Addictions Management Programme’s existing infrastructure.
It provides specialised treatment services for patients with behavioural and substance addictions. Its services include psychiatric assessment, counselling and support groups.
Associate Professor Wong Kim Eng, Nams’ clinical director, said the rise in problem gambling cases is down to increased public awareness.
Over the past two years, for example, Nams has increased outreach efforts by holding more education talks at schools, workplaces and public events. It also organised its first problem gambling forum in April.
Dr Munidasa Winslow, a consultant psychiatrist at Raffles Counselling Centre who has experience in dealing with addictions, acknowledged that awareness of problem gambling in Singapore has increased recently.
During the World Cup, for example, there were two gambling group sessions running daily at We Care Community Services, a charity serving people with addictions, he said.
None was held during the previous World Cup.
Have the casinos which opened recently contributed to the growing numbers? No, says Prof Wong.
“You cannot attribute the new cases to the opening of the integrated resorts. The casinos opened only three to four months ago, and it is too soon... Gambling addiction takes time to develop.”
Singapore’s first casino, at Resorts World Sentosa, opened on Feb 14. The second – at Marina Bay Sands – opened on April 27.
But Mr Charles Lee, a senior counsellor at the Tanjong Pagar Family Service Centre, said the number of problem gambling cases handled, including applications for family exclusion orders from the two casinos, has doubled in the last six months.
Although he stressed that the casinos should not be blamed for the rise in problem gamblers, he did caution: “The opening of the casinos is a trigger for relapse. Gamblers who may have abstained may be tempted to visit the casino out of curiosity, and they will relapse.”
“The onus is on the person, not the place: If you have problems with gambling, beware of places that you should not go to,” he said.
Dr Winslow added that there is a likelihood the number of problem gamblers will increase over the next few years if more Singaporeans frequent the two casinos.
Noting that 5 per cent to 10 per cent of people who regularly participate in activities like drinking or gambling are prone to developing addictions, he said: “The casinos are something to be watched, because if there is an easy way to gamble, there will be a proportion of people at risk who may develop pathological gambling.”
|