Gambling is a disease, say the Psychiatrists with the national referral hospital. They say it is an addiction like smoking and drinking.
However, not a single gambler is ready to accept the fact. And even those who come to seek medical help are the ones who are trying to escape legal consequences. “They have ulterior motive,” says the Psychiatrists.
“There were some cases where people were called to courts because they had borrowed money from money lenders for gambling and for some reasons they were not been able to pay back. So the court has called them asking them to repay the money or go to jail,” said Dr. Chencho Dorji, a Psychiatrist with the JDWNR Hospital. He said they come to hospital in such cases on a pretext of seeking medical help hoping that can escape imprisonment.
Dr. Chencho Dorji said the first step to avoid being in such situation is to accept gambling as a disease. “I think Bhutanese do not understand or know that gambling is a disease.” He said if somebody thinks he has a gambling problem he should seek help. “There are help available.”
The early treatment for the addiction according to the doctor not only cures the disease but also help avoid social problems.
