Big fan of the Lifetime program Drop Dead Diva! (to watch) I’m also a huge fan of plots based on actual events. Having personally researched and written about the topic of objectum-sexuality — people who are in love with inanimate (non-human) objects. One of the cases two of the lawyers were defending involved a woman with an unnatural attachment to a large plant, and she was suing for custody of. And while the client in my opinion didn’t ultimately align with the characteristics of their sexuality, it was a hoot hearing the brief reference to an orientation rarely discussed. (Still curious about object lovers? click here)
Since that portion of the show involved an element of fact, I was curious to learn if the other case, held by the show’s main character Deb, was also based on a true to life situation. It was really interesting because that fictional lawsuit was regarding the lawsuit of a woman (whom you later learn has Parkinson disease) against a casino, claiming it was their fault she blew threw $50,000. The twist in the case was that her medication induced a gambling compulsion, and the casino’s medical consultant was privy to this information, and was intentionally luring participants to of a Parkinson’s medical trial to the casino.
Could this be for real? Answer: FACT
Medication Induced Gambling Compulsion
By Rick Nauert PhD Senior News Editor
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on February 9, 2007The unintentional development of a compulsive gambling disorder after a medical treatment is discussed in a new case report from the Mayo Clinic. Although the extent of the problem is unknown, treatment of a particular neurological syndrome with medications that stimulate dopamine receptors in the brain appear to trigger the disorder.
The Mayo Clinic study is the first to describe the iatrogenic disorder among patients with restless legs syndrome (RLS). RLS is neurological disorder characterized by unpleasant sensations in the legs and an uncontrollable urge to move them for relief of unknown cause. RLS is generally a life-long condition for which there is no cure.
The development of pathological gambling has been documented among patients with Parkinson disease who require high doses of medications called dopamine agonists However, the new finding shows that gambling is not restricted to patients with Parkinson disease — and also can occur after the administration of low dosages of medication.
The report appeared in the Jan. 23 issue of Neurology.
Related articles
- Sleep disorder has ‘big links’ to Parkinson’s disease (time4sleep.co.uk)
- Life with Dermatillomania (psychologytoday.com)
interesting12 
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