Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)

A manual produced by the American Psychiatric Association that catalogs mental disorders. The fourth edition (DSM-IV), published in 1994, characterizes pathological gambling as an impulse disorder and lists 10 characteristics of a pathological gambler. Five of the ten must be present for a diagnosis of pathological gambling to be made. In addition to its use in clinical assessments, the DSM-IV criteria have been used in studies to determine the prevalence of pathological gambling in the general population. The DSM-IV criteria are generally considered to be more conservative than those used in the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS).