Problem Gambling and the Non-Medical Addiction Model
Finnish General Practitioners' and Social Workers' Perceptions
Keywords:
Finland, general practitioners, medicalization, problem gambling, social workersAbstract
Excessive gambling is increasingly understood in medical terms. Instead of criticizing this process as “medicalization” and an enlargement of the medical profession’s area of influence, we question this understanding from the context of the Finnish non-medical model of addiction. Group interviews with seven groups of general practitioners (GPs) and eight groups of social workers in Finland (altogether 66 participants) were conducted. Film clips portraying gambling problems served as a discussion stimulus. Neither of the professional groups medicalized the issue, but both interpreted it as a social problem. However, participants still held individual gamblers responsible for overcoming the problem. GPs contest their responsibility to treat problem gambling, whereas social workers claim a position of caring for those harmed by the person’s problem gambling, rather than for the gambler him-/herself. We argue that a medical framing of excessive gambling would risk limiting social workers’ efforts even further. In the context of the Finnish non-medical model of addiction, this would coincide with a medical profession unwilling to fill the gap, leaving problem gambling unattended by both professions. Finally, we question the frequently made equation between medicalization and individualization.
