Behavioral Interventions in the Treatment of Pathological Gambling: A Review of Activity Scheduling and Desensitization

Cognitive and behavioral interventions have been cautiously recommended as “best practice” in the treatment of pathological gambling. Behavioral interventions, using a range of techniques, have been the most commonly evaluated approach to the psychological treatment of pathological gambling. The recent literature evaluating behavioral treatments has shifted from aversive therapy to alternative behavioral techniques such as interventions based on desensitization and exposure procedures. A range of other behavioral techniques, such as alternative activity scheduling, problem solving training, financial planning and limit setting, social skills training, and relapse prevention, have been included as treatment components of standardized cognitive-behavioral programs. This paper reviews the published empirical literature investigating the efficacy of the behavioral intervention strategies of activity scheduling and desensitization in the treatment of pathological gambling. Although the findings for both intervention strategies are promising, they must be interpreted with caution given the methodological difficulties inherent in the pathological gambling treatment outcome literature.