Are you addicted to gambling? Use the DSM-5 to assess your condition.

"I need to increase the trading amount to feel more excitement!" "I can't stop thinking about how much profit I'll make this time."...

During a bull market, information on contract trading, spot trading, liquidity mining, arbitrage, and other ways to quickly accumulate wealth is flooding in. Your psychological and behavioral state may be difficult to describe with just FOMO (fear of missing out). In this era of advanced online investment, you may be experiencing symptoms of both "gambling disorder" and "internet addiction disorder" simultaneously.

Am I Addicted to Gambling?

In the United States, Taiwan, and many countries around the world, the American Psychiatric Association's "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders" (DSM) is used to assess and diagnose mental disorders. In the fifth edition of the DSM, there are nine symptom descriptions for "gambling addiction," and at least four of these symptoms must be present in a 12-month period to be diagnosed with "gambling addiction."

• Need to increase the amount of bets to achieve the expected excitement
• Feel restless or irritable when trying to reduce or stop gambling
• Have made repeated unsuccessful efforts to control, cut back, or stop gambling
• Frequently preoccupied with gambling (e.g., reliving past gambling experiences, planning the next venture, thinking of ways to get money to gamble)
• Gamble when feeling distressed (e.g., helpless, guilty, anxious, or depressed)
• Usually want to recoup losses the day after gambling (chasing losses)
• Lie to conceal the extent of gambling
• Have jeopardized or lost significant relationships, jobs, education, or career opportunities due to gambling
• Rely on others to provide money to relieve financial difficulties caused by gambling

The Anglican Diocese of Macau Social Services has compiled a scale based on these symptoms for individuals to assess the level of their gambling addiction. You can take the test through this link.

There is also a scale for Internet Addiction

Are you troubled by the need to continuously go online to stay informed about the latest investment information? Professor Chen Shuhui from the Clinical Psychology Research Laboratory at National Taiwan University, along with other researchers and scholars, have developed a Chinese Internet Addiction Scale. (Internet addiction is not currently included in the DSM).

According to this scale, individuals who score 58 or higher for adolescents and 64 or higher for college students are considered to be in the high-risk group for internet addiction.

For individuals who score 64 or higher for adolescents and 68 or higher for college students, they are considered suspected cases of internet addiction.

Additionally, there are scales developed by foreign scholars (this scale also has a Chinese interactive interface).

It is important to be aware of not only the risks of investment trading but also to recognize any psychological discomfort in a timely manner. If symptoms are severe and persistent, seeking assistance from a professional is recommended.