03 March 2016

For immediate release

Helping prevent gambling harm

Dr Henrietta-Bowden Jones, Consultant Psychiatrist and Director of CNWL's National Problem Gambling Clinic, is working alongside a new national programme to help prevent the harms related to gambling.

Dr Bowden-Jones is providing expert advice on problem gambling as an illness to the project, which will develop curriculum-based materials and interventions to be used in secondary schools across England and Wales.

The aim is to prevent gambling-related harm while increasing the level of knowledge in schools about gambling dangers.

The project is run by Demos, in partnership with Mentor, the PSHE Association and Dr Bowden-Jones.

The National Problem Gambling Clinic is currently trialling the use of Naltrexone for treatment resistant patients for whom traditional methods of psychological treatment such as CBT has not worked.

Dr Bowden-Jones said: "I am excited to be involved with this project. I see the effects of gambling on people, families and carers. CNWL is very strong on protecting families and carers, and domestic violence as well as broken families are closely linked to pathological gambling. We are committed to trying all possible treatments to preserve the wellbeing of patients and their families."

For details of the project click on http://mentoruk.org.uk/news/2016/02/26/gambling-education-pilot/.

Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust
Stephenson House, 75 Hampstead Road, London NW1 2PL
Tel: 020 3214 5756 e-mail:communications.cnwl@nhs.net