Impulsiveness in Alcohol Addiction and Pathological Gambling

Abstract

© 2015 KBCSM, Zagreb. Numerous conducted studies, as well as the daily clinical experience, proves the importance of the role that impulsiveness plays in the clinical course and the treatment response in both psychoactive substance addictions, such as alcohol use disorder and behavioural addictions, such as gambling addiction. In the daily practice, impulsiveness as a personality trait is observed either in the context of a determining, i.e. causing factor in the personality development or as a result of a developed addiction. Certain types of impulsiveness are more often present in certain types of addicts and their detection enables us to make a more precise diagnosis and sub-classification as well as a more adequate adaptation of the treatment protocol. According to the studies so far, the occurrence of impulsiveness significantly affects the occurrence of relapse in treated addicts. To a large extent it also determines the range of the treatment response to the applied treatment procedures. The objective of this review was to point out the specific features of the prevalence of certain impulsiveness elements in psychoactive substance addicts, such as alcohol addicts, and of behavioural addicts, such as gambling addicts, and to additionally emphasize their clinical, diagnostic, treatment and prognostic value.