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Are there personality disorders that make someone more likely to develop a gambling addiction?
There have been a number of studies conducted in the past decade examining pathological gambling and personality disorders. When looking at the two together, it seems that they often go hand in hand. When the comorbidity of personality and gambling disorders has been studied through systematic reviews and meta-analysis, the prevalence rate of any personality disorder for those with gambling addictions was 43 percent while the prevalence rate of antisocial personality disorder specifically was 29 percent.
Personality Disorders Commonly Found With Gambling Addiction
There is also quite a bit of evidence that Cluster B personality disorders (antisocial, borderline, histrionic and narcissistic personality disorders) are the most common personality disorders to be found in people with pathological gambling. Borderline personality disorder is the most prevalent, and it is believed to predate the gambling problems in most cases. Thus, it is considered to be a major risk factor for developing problem gambling. Having a Cluster B personality disorder has been associated with more severe gambling problems and an early age of onset of pathological gambling.
