Unified recommendations for the treatment of ludomania will appear in Russia

Unified clinical guidelines for the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of ludomania are being prepared in Russia. The document is planned to be developed by the end of 2026 and approved in 2027. This was announced on May 7 by Evgeny Bekhterev, Deputy Director for Scientific Work at the Bekhterev National Research Medical Center of Psychiatry and Neurology, co-chairman of the Clinical Narcology Section of the Russian Society of Psychiatrists (ROP). Krupitsky.

The development will be carried out by the V.P. Serbsky National Medical Research Center for Psychiatry and Narcology with the participation of specialists from the Russian Society of Psychiatrists, including experts from the Bekhterev Center. The project is currently at the initial stage of formation.

Clinical recommendations are mandatory algorithms for doctors to diagnose, treat, prevent, and rehabilitate diseases. Since January 2025, their use has become a mandatory standard of medical practice. However, there is no separate document on gambling addiction in the healthcare system yet.

According to Krupitsky, the development of the document requires a comprehensive scientific justification of all approaches, so the timing of its preparation may vary. The need for such recommendations is explained by the growing number of referrals and the prevalence of gambling addiction. Experts estimate the proportion of people with similar problems at 1-7% of the population, and among teenagers — up to 10-15%, while there are no official statistics.

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In addition, experts noted that the development of ludomania is associated with a combination of social and psychological factors. In particular, the availability of online games and betting, high levels of stress and economic uncertainty increase the involvement in gambling practices. Young people are considered to be particularly vulnerable.

Psychologists have emphasized that addiction is formed gradually: the brain gets used to the release of dopamine at the moment of waiting for a win, which is why the usual stimuli cease to bring pleasure. At the same time, ludomania often remains less noticeable compared to other types of addictions, since it is not accompanied by obvious physical manifestations.

According to psychiatrists, gambling addiction can be either an independent disorder or accompany other conditions, including bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorders, and ADHD. The key difference between episodic gambling and addiction is that when ludomania is formed, a person loses control of time and expenses, and continues to play even with financial losses, trying to "win back".

Nina Gukasova, PhD in Economics, director of the program of the Federal Methodological Center for Improving Literacy at the Presidential Academy (RANEPA), announced on February 19 that Russians would be warned about the risk of addiction in gambling advertising. In addition to this warning, betting-related organizations will be required to provide information on ways to save and increase finances, such as investments.