Because its been brought up several times in the discussion I decided to do some research on Suicide and its cited causes and statistics. There is literally tons of data available here:
The data is presented without a viewpoint and is interesting reading. I also checked to see about the highest statistical rates for suicide by profession. The highest is the medical field. Also mentioned were police officers and military personal. The general consensus was that high stress jobs did see a small statistical increase of suicide over other less stressful ones, but profession was NOT as major a contributor as other factors such as age and mental health.
In reading all the available materials I did not see any reference to Gamblers (professional or recreational) as being any more prone to suicide then anyone else.
I am not saying that people (professors included) havent stated that problem gambling is a major risk factor for suicide, but I can find no statistical evidence to coroborate that claim.
If anyone can point to any articles online by physicians or psychologists that contend that gambling additiction is a major cause of suicide I would appreciate you posting a link.