By: Candice Lipski, Yvonne Perry, Quincy Howard, Dr. Roger Pumphrey
The term “sexual addict” has become quite popular in our society, especially in light of the Tiger Woods’ scandal. Is there really such a diagnosis for sexual addiction? According to the DSM IV-TR there is not. There are also several psychiatrists and psychologists who claim there is no such thing as sexual addiction.
Eli Coleman, a psychologist who is the director of the human sexuality program at the University of Minnesota Medical School in Minneapolis, states that although the term ‘sex addict’ is popular in the media, it isn’t well accepted within psychiatry (Sex Addiction or Simple Cheating? How to Tell the Difference, by Deborah Kotz, 2010). Jack Drescher, a psychiatrist who specializes in gender issues, thinks sex addiction is a made-up diagnosis that has a moralizing component to it ( CBS News: The Stories Behind Sex Addiction, 2010). Marty Klein, Ph.D, goes as far as to say that “Virtually no one in the fi eld of sexology believes in the concept of ‘sex addiction.’ All clinicians and thoughtful people should reject any model…” (Sexual Intelligence, 2010).
If we “buy” into the terminology “sexual addiction” then what else are we going to label as addiction? As John Grohol PsyD. states, “Any behavior taken to the extreme could be considered pathological, especially those behaviors which bring a person some degree of pleasure (such as watching television, pathologically following a particular sports team, gambling, texting…)” (Is Sexual Addiction Real, 2008). At what point do we stop adding the term “addiction” to behaviors that are shunned by society?
Is there such a diagnosis as sexual addiction? Some will say there is and that the diagnosis should be added to the DSM-IV-TR. (The DSMIV- TR is a handbook used by mental health professionals for diagnosing mental illness. Specifi c diagnostic criteria are included for all of the currently recognized mental health disorders). Those who think it should be a disorder feel that people who have sexual relations with numerous people are unable to stop; they need help, thus the term “addiction”. If you can’t stop something on your own then that is seen as an addiction; it is a problem that needs to be fixed. Many individuals buy into the fact that Tiger Woods is a sex addict. He apologized and admitted he needs help. Does he really need help? Does he really want help? Is he saying he has a problem, an addiction, because he got caught and needs to make himself look better in the eyes of the media?
The next DSM (which may be the DSM-V) may include sexual addiction as a disorder. Some people may feel that the disorder should be added now but will probably be satisfi ed when or if it is added. Some people disagree with sexual addiction as being a disorder and some people will not be happy if the disorder makes it into the next DSM. Regardless of your current position on the matter, the fact remains that the diagnosis of sexual addiction does not appear in nor is it recognized in the current DSM-IV-TR.
We are all born with the natural desire to lust after others and to have sexual relations with others. It is our choice as to whether or not we act on those natural instincts and drives or if we remain faithful to our partner when we are in a marriage or “serious” relationship. When you lust for others, have the desire to act on that lust, and have the opportunity and resources to do so, you may choose to act on those desires. The media loves to hype up the idea that this is considered a “sexual addiction”. We see these acts as nothing more than an excuse for behavior that is not condoned by society.
– Completed for a Substance Abuse Class Project
