PATHOLOGICAL GAMBLERS - WILL THEY USE A NEW TELEPHONE HOTLINE

Aims. This paper reports on the preparedness of pathological gamblers to seek help through a new national toll-free telephone hotline and co mpares these callers, on some key dimensions, with a representative sa mple of pathological gamblers living in the community. Methods. Caller s were assessed using standard diagnostic screens. Sociodemographic da ta and reported symptoms of stress and depression were also recorded. Callers identified as pathological gamblers were compared with their c ounterparts in a recent nationwide epidemiological survey. Results. Du ring the first 3 months of operation, 1506 calls were received from 32 9 callers. Of these 167 were pathological gamblers, 117 were partners or family members and 45 were from various agencies. Pathological gamb lers contacting the hotline resembled those from the community survey with respect to gender and age. Maori and Pacific Islanders were under represented. Suicidal ideation was reported by over 90% of pathologica l gambler callers. Conclusions. The new service provides a means to re ach people with serious gambling-related problems and provides informa tion to family members and helping agencies. High reported suicidal id eation was consistent with previous studies showing elevated rates of stress and depression among pathological gamblers. Underutilisation by Maori, Pacific Islanders and people with less severe gambling disorde rs indicates the need to find better ways to engage these groups.