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petitioner. Dr. Pike has been qualified to testify in both
Federal and local courts as an expert witness on pathological
gambling. Dr. Pike is a member of the National Council on
Problem Gambling, the California Council on Problem Gambling, and
the American Psychological Association.
Pursuant to a clinical interview and mental assessment of
Mr. Gagliardi, including the use of two widely accepted
assessment procedures (a.k.a. gambling screens) in the medical
field--the South Oaks Gambling Screen and the Diagnostic
Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV)17
Pathological Gambler Criteria--Dr. Pike concluded that Mr.
Gagliardi suffered from a pathological gambling disorder during
the tax years at issue. A pathological gambling disorder is a
type of impulse control disorder and mental illness, not an
“addiction”. This disorder is accepted by the scientific
community and is in a category with kleptomania (the impulse to
steal stemming from emotional disturbance rather than economic
need) and trichotillomania (pulling hair). Dr. Pike concluded
that Mr. Gagliardi suffered “from the almost delusional belief
that if he gambled long enough, he’d win everything back or break
even.”
17 The DSM-IV, published by the American Psychiatric
Association, is the “diagnostic bible” used for diagnosing any
and every mental illness.
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Last modified: March 27, 2008