Current suicidal ideation in treatment-seeking individuals in the United Kingdom with gambling problems

•Uses a large clinical sample (n = 903)•Prevalence rates of current and lifetime suicide ideation are high in treatment seeking pathological gamblers.•The severity of anxiety disorder is associated with current suicidal ideation.

BackgroundStudies show higher lifetime prevalence of suicidality in individuals with pathological gambling. However, less is known about the relationship between pathological gambling and current suicidal ideation.ObjectivesWe investigated socio-demographic, clinical and gambling-related variables associated with suicidality in treatment-seeking individuals.MethodsBivariate analyses and logistic regression models were generated on data from 903 individuals to identify measures associated with aspects of suicidality.ResultsForty-six percent of patients reported current suicidal ideation. People with current suicidal thoughts were more likely to report greater problem-gambling severity (p < 0.001), depression (p < 0.001) and anxiety (p < 0.001) compared to those without suicidality. Logistic regression models suggested that past suicidal ideation (p < 0.001) and higher anxiety (p < 0.05) may be predictive factors of current suicidality.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that the severity of anxiety disorder, along with a lifetime history of suicidal ideation, may help to identify treatment-seeking individuals with pathological gambling with a higher risk of suicidality, highlighting the importance of assessing suicidal ideation in clinical settings.