Risk Factors for Suicide Ideation and Attempts Among Pathological Gamblers

A community sample of 101 individuals with gambling problems who had made a recent quit attempt was assessed. Of these, 28.7% reported no history of suicide ideation or attempts, 38.6% reported only thoughts of suicide, & 32.7% reported a suicide attempt. Ideation predated the onset of gambling problems by an average of more than 10 years. Substance abuse history was the only factor that distinguished between individuals who had a history of suicide attempts versus ideation only. Findings are consistent with the common factor model of etiology in which the suicidality of gambling is related to prior mental health disorders. (34 refs.)