Which of the following is a criterion for Gambling Disorder?

• A. Spends less money over time
• B. Passes financial difficulties with help
• C. Lies to conceal
• D. Avoids gambling when distressed

Answer: (C)

Gambling Disorder is diagnosed when there is a persistent pattern of problematic gambling that causes clinically significant impairment, with at least four of nine specific criteria occurring within a 12-month period. Lying to conceal the extent of gambling fits this pattern because deception about how much one gambles signals an escalating, impairing behavior and a failure to acknowledge the problem, which are central to the disorder. The other options don’t align with the criteria: spending less money over time would be the opposite of the escalating financial need seen in gambling problems; needing help to pass financial difficulties doesn’t capture the ongoing, self-defeating nature of the condition; and avoiding gambling when distressed is the opposite of the disorder’s tendency to gamble in response to distress.