Sex addiction to be formally recognised as a psychiatric disorder
March 14th, 2011 - 11:32 am ICT by ANI
London, Mar 14 (ANI): Sex addiction is about to become formally recognised as a psychiatric illness.
Experts are considering including the ‘addiction’, in which sufferers have relentless sexual urges that feel out of one’s control, in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, reports the Daily Mail.
The American Psychiatric Association (APA) publishes the manual, which is considered the definitive guide to what constitutes a genuine psychological disorder rather than an imaginary one.
Sex addiction became highly publicised when celebrities such as Tiger Woods and Russell Brand sought treatment for the condition.
The shamed golfer underwent a six-week intensive programme at the Pine Grove clinic in Mississippi, designed to treat sexual addiction, sexual anorexia, relationship addiction and sexual trauma.Meanwhile, gambling addiction has recently been classified as a mental illness in Britain and now the health service is starting a preliminary project for sex addiction treatment.
And the recent discussion of sex addiction could spark a boom in drug companies re-packaging anti-depressants and sex-drive-suppressants, according to experts.
The Priory chain of clinics say its patients: “work on themselves for eight or nine hours a day in group therapy, in individual sessions with their psychiatrists and with a wide range of trained therapists.”
Clinical psychologist and sex therapist Janet Hall in Melbourne said patients with sex addiction problems now make up the majority of her clients.
She said celebrity treatment has contributed to the rise and added: “it’s saying ‘if the famous and wealthy are addicts and get into trouble, I am not alone nor am I a horrible nasty person.’” (ANI)
- Is sex addiction really a disease or just a convenient excuse? - Feb 25, 2011
- Rise in number of Aussies seeking treatment for sex addiction - Mar 02, 2011
- New US psychiatry manual targets binge eating, not sex addiction, obesity - Feb 11, 2010
- Honeymoon murder: Indian origin accused held for violent outburst - Apr 12, 2011
- Sexual abuse survivors prone to psychiatric disorders - Jul 13, 2010
- Gene behind major depression identified - Apr 28, 2011
- Mentally ill prone to poor teeth - Sep 02, 2011
- Mindfulness meditation as good as antidepressants: Study - Dec 08, 2010
- Psychotic-like symptoms linked to poor outcomes in depression patients - Dec 07, 2010
- Sex addiction is like eating disorder: Therapist - Jan 22, 2010
- Brit-Indian honeymooner thrown out of London clinic after hurling plate at patient's door - Apr 13, 2011
- Anxiety disorders mount since credit crunch - Jan 01, 2012
- Brain volume changes following weight gain in anorexics - May 27, 2010
- Medication common practice for insomnia in kids - Jul 27, 2010
- 'Walking corpse syndrome' makes people think they're zombies - Oct 30, 2010
Tags: addiction problems, addiction treatment, american psychiatric association, ani sex, anti depressants, celebrity treatment, clinical psychologist, daily mail, diagnostic and statistical manual, diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, gambling addiction, janet hall, nasty person, relationship addiction, russell brand, sex addiction, sex therapist, sexual anorexia, sexual trauma, sexual urges