Gambling Disorder and Increased Psychiatric Comorbidity: A Finnish Register-Based Study

This study investigates gender-specific standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) of comorbid psychiatric disorders among adults diagnosed with gambling disorder (GD) and also examines mortality rates and causes of death in this population.

The study included all individuals aged 18 years or older in Finland diagnosed with GD between 2011 and 2022 (n = 3,605), as defined by ICD-10 code F63.0 (International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision). Data were drawn from nationwide social and healthcare registers, covering both primary and specialized care. The general population (n = 4,374,192) served as the reference group.

Among individuals with GD, 88.5% were diagnosed with at least one additional psychiatric disorder. After age standardization, the incidence of psychiatric comorbidities was significantly higher in the GD group compared to the general population. Mood and anxiety disorders were the most common disorders in both groups. However, personality disorders (PD), schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD) and substance use disorders (SUD) were significantly more common among individuals with GD. Some gender-specific patterns emerged: GD was particularly associated with PD and SUD among women, as well as with PD and SSD among men. Of the GD cohort, 3.6% had died, with suicide accounting for 22% of deaths.

Diagnosed GD is associated with elevated rates of psychiatric disorders, particularly PD, SSD and SUD. These findings highlight the importance of comprehensive mental health assessment in individuals with GD. Frontline social and healthcare professionals should be attentive to the high occurrence of psychiatric comorbidities in this population to ensure timely and appropriate care.