Gambling and Mental Health

If gambling is leaving you anxious, low, ashamed, unable to sleep or constantly worried about money, that impact matters. You do not need a mental-health diagnosis before asking for help.

Mental-health difficulties and gambling-related harm can occur together. Sometimes distress is already there before gambling becomes a problem. Sometimes gambling losses and their consequences make mental health worse. For many people, both are happening at the same time.

The link is real, but it is not always simple

NICE guidance tells health professionals to ask about gambling when people present with mental-health concerns including depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts and several other conditions. It also recommends assessing how gambling is affecting a person's mental health and how thoughts and emotions may be contributing to continued gambling.

The relationship varies from person to person, so the immediate concern is whether gambling is adding to distress or making daily life harder.

When gambling becomes a way to cope

Some people gamble because it briefly distracts them from stress, loneliness, anxiety or low mood. The problem is that any relief can be short-lived while losses, secrecy or debt add more pressure afterwards.

It is worth paying attention if you are:

• Gambling mainly to escape how you feel
• Turning to gambling after arguments, bad news or periods of stress
• Finding that gambling is one of the only things that changes your mood
• Gambling more after a loss because you feel you need to put things right
• Using gambling to avoid thinking about debt or other problems

Signs that your mental health is being affected

Gambling-related harm can show up as:

• Persistent worry about losses, debts or what will happen next
• Feeling low, hopeless or ashamed after gambling
• Problems sleeping because you are gambling late or thinking about money
• Difficulty concentrating at work, college or home
• Pulling away from friends or family
• Feeling trapped because gambling seems like the only way to recover what has been lost

These experiences can have other causes. If gambling is clearly adding to them, tell the person helping you about both parts of the problem.

If you are thinking about harming yourself

Gambling-related harm is associated with an increased risk of suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts. NICE says gambling can be a major risk factor even when other usual risk factors are not present.

If you think you may harm yourself or someone else, use urgent mental-health or emergency support now. Do not wait until the gambling or financial problem has been sorted out first.

Getting help for both problems

You do not have to choose between gambling support and mental-health support. A gambling treatment service can help with gambling-related harm and may also work with other health services when mental-health needs are part of the picture.

NHS gambling clinics in England provide specialist treatment and can support people with complex health needs related to gambling. A GP can also help you discuss mental-health symptoms and local treatment options.

Practical ways to reduce access to gambling

If gambling is adding to your distress, making it harder to access can give you some space while you get support. Depending on how you gamble, options include self-exclusion, gambling-blocking software and a gambling block from your bank.

These controls do not treat anxiety, depression or another mental-health condition. They are practical barriers that can sit alongside treatment and support.

Money problems can add to the pressure

Debt, missed bills and fear about money can make an already difficult situation feel much worse. If gambling has created debt, getting independent debt advice can reduce some of that immediate pressure while you address the gambling itself.

Our gambling and debt guide explains the practical first steps.

Authoritative sources

• NHS: help for problems with gambling
• NICE NG248: gambling-related harms, identification, assessment and management