GLEN hosted a meeting on Monday 27th May entitled “Talking Gambling and ADHD/ND” as part of our plans this year to explore the links and connections which exist between gambling and neurodivergent conditions.
This was an exploratory first meeting which offered a platform for individuals with joint experience of gambling harms and also neurodiversity to share thoughts, insights, and learnings which they have formed based on their own personal experiences.
The event went well and there were very many areas of interesting discussion which came out of it. Some of them are listed below.
What also emerged was that those present found it a very useful and rewarding meeting, and that there is a definite appetite to continue this format of discussions. With this in mind GLEN will look to set up a regular weekly meeting on this theme to allow those who were present, and anyone else for whom this is an area of personal interest, to be able to come together and discuss any and all aspects of the intersection of these conditions with like-minded people.
GLEN is keen to expand the conversation and understanding of gambling and neurodiversity as a common lived experiences for many and will be holding a virtual event in July which will allow subject experts and individuals with lived experience of both to have a wider public platform to inform and stimulate discussion.
From Monday’s meeting alone some of the topics and possible themes which emerged were:
- Individuals reporting that the NHS still struggles to keep up with needs in this area – hearing form one individual who is now 18 months into an expected 2 year wait to get formal diagnosis for possible ADHD – and from another about how difficult it is to get medicines reviewed or renewed after taking a break from using them.
- That pinning down cause and effect when looking at experiences of gambling for those with neurodivergent conditions needs far more examination. Many of the common features mentioned on the day were also recognisable as being familiar to individuals without (official or self-attributed) ND diagnosis as featuring in their own relationship with harmful gambling – which raises interesting questions about whether the main differences are in levels of intensity and/or impact.
- A theme emerging was the commonality and importance of numbers/numerology in gambling for those who are ND. With experiences around needs to keep/avoid certain numbers – obsessive pattern seeking – aversion to odds/evens – need to keep whole/round number account balances, and others.
- Seeing data supporting gambling activity as a form of “obsession”.
- “Harmful” increases in gambling involvement sometimes “helping” in other areas – such as improved university grades.
- Gambling acting to drown out chaos in other areas of life – especially exposure to emotional traumas.
- Gambling as a stabiliser – a tool for artificially creating “calm chaos”.
- Fast intensity gambling products (roulette/scratchcards) and hyperfocus enabling events (data intense real-time feedback) far more popular than delayed outcome events. One individual linking it to good/bad ways of accessing dopamine “fast-food” v slow release “porridge”.
- Differences in effects of variable intensity of data-led hyperfocus – engagement of all senses while watching live football often less intensely focusing than watching simpler bookmaker website diagrams of real-time pitch action (arrows showing possession, attack, dangerous attack, corner, etc).
- Multi-tasking use of feeds/events which acted to create an immersive fog.
- Little noticeable connection between medication levels and gambling urges.
- Gambling as a means of controlled self-harm/destruction.
- High street Bookies as “dysfunctional” non-accusatory family substitutes.
- Gambling an “effortless” alternative to procrastination – aligns easily with ADHD “time-wasting super-skill”.
Perhaps the best feedback we received was that those present really valued being in the presence of others who had shared experiences and could answer the commonly occurring questions – “Did you?” and “Is it just me that…?”
If you would like to join future meetings, or participate in our July event, please contact GLEN at info@glenetwork.org