Mental health refers to our emotional, psychological and social wellbeing, it is just as important to look after as our physical health. Our mental health affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices.

When our mental health is good, we enjoy being around other people and taking on challenges and new experiences. When our mental health is not so good, we find it harder to cope.

If negative thoughts and feelings start to affect your daily life, you may need some support with your mental health.

Gambling is associated with mental health in different ways. To start with, some young people gamble to escape from problems or bad feelings. Almost one in five (18%) of 11-16 year olds in a recent Young People and Gambling Survey said that they would be more likely to gamble if they were worrying about something.

As well as this, if gambling gets out of hand it can have serious effects on mental health, causing stress, anxiety and depression. Another issue is that young people with existing mental health concerns are more at risk of harmful gambling.

When gambling gets out of control it can cause anxiety and depression, which are two of the most common mental health concerns. Although a lot of people gamble to escape feelings of depression or other mental health problems, gambling can actually make these conditions worse. Young people’s mental health charity YoungMinds explains more about anxiety and depression:

Most of us worry sometimes – about things like friendships or money – and feel anxious when we’re under stress, like at exam time. But afterwards we usually calm down and feel better. But when you’re not in a stressful situation, and you still feel worried or panicky, that’s when anxiety can become a problem. Read more about anxiety here.

We all feel low or down at times, but if your negative emotions last a long time or feel very severe, you may have depression. Depression is a mood disorder where you feel very down all the time. Depression can happen as a reaction to something like abuse, bullying or family breakdown, but it can also run in families. Read more about depression here.

While gambling occasionally may not cause issues, if gambling escalates it can be harmful to your mental health.

• You feel stressed, anxious or depressed
• You feel isolated, ashamed or guilty
• You’re not sleeping or eating well
• You’ve started drinking alcohol or taking drugs, or doing this more often
• You’re not making an effort with friends or family
• You can’t be bothered to go out, do activities or see people

If you have answered yes to any of these, GamCare can support help. You can also find mental health information and support at the children and young people’s charity YoungMinds.