Abstract

OLIVEIRA, Maria Paula Magalhães Tavares de; SILVEIRA, Dartiu Xavier da  and  SILVA, Maria Teresa Araujo. Pathological gambling and its consequences for public health. Rev. Saúde Pública [online]. 2008, vol.42, n.3, pp. 542-549.  Epub Apr 25, 2008. ISSN 0034-8910.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0034-89102008005000026.

The article aimed to characterize pathological gambling, showing the main consequences of this disorder. Bibliographic survey on this theme was conducted, covering both national and international literature. Publications whose main findings emphasized related prevalence, social and economic costs, gambling legalization and resulting impact on public health, were selected. High suicide rate, comorbidity with other psychiatric disorders, family and work problems, and illicit behavior were consequences reported. The prevalence of this disorder is higher in countries that have legalized gambling and in Brazil there is evidence of growth in the number of pathological gamblers. The development of national research is fundamental to define public policies that are adequate for the Brazilian context.

Keywords : Gambling; Psychosocial Impact; Impacts on Health; Social Behavior; Legislation; Prevalence; Review.