Sex Addiction One Step Closer To Becoming Recognized Disorder -- UCLA

By Dennis Romero Tue., Oct. 23 2012 at 7:00 AM

Categories: Sex

@charliesheen

Listen up Charlie Sheen, Anthony Weiner and the entire porn industry.

The good folks at UCLA have come up with a set of scientific criteria for what ails you, a.k.a., sex addiction. And the new guidelines make this one step closer to becoming recognized as a legitimate mental disorder along the lines of drug addiction.

Seriously, though, it could be a good thing. It could help you get the help you need:

UCLA says the new criteria, published in the latest Journal of Sexual Medicine, will allow the editors of upcoming, fifth edition of psychiatry's bible, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, seriously consider induction of sex addiction as a tried-and-true psych-problem.

(Can you imagine taking legit time off work for sex rehab? Charlie Sheen can ... ).

The guidelines come via Rory Reid, assistant professor of psychiatry at the Semel Institute of Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA.

According to the school, here are some of the official things to look out for:

Nate 'Igor' Smith

... A recurring pattern of sexual fantasies, urges and behaviors lasting a period of six months or longer that are not caused by other issues, such as substance abuse, another medical condition or manic episodes associated with bipolar disorder.
... A pattern of sexual activity in response to unpleasant mood states, such as feeling depressed, or a pattern of repeatedly using sex as a way of coping with stress.

... Unsuccessful ... attempts to reduce or stop sexual activities they believe are problematic.

The researchers came up with the guidelines after looking at 207 patients and finding that the criteria did a "good job" of distinguishing a vast majority of those with sex addiction (versus those with other mental issues).

Folks ID'd with the disorder were way more likely to have lost a job, broken up or divorced with a partner or contracted an STD, says UCLA. Most of these issues start in the late-teens to mid-20s, according to the research.

The crack cocaine of hypersexual disorder? You guessed it: Masturbation and pornography. And get this, Charlie: The identified sex addicts had an average of 15 partners ... a year. (We know, that's a slow weekend for you, but still ... ).

Professor Reid:

It's not that a lot of people don't take sexual risks from time to time or use sex on occasion to cope with stress or just escape, but for these patients, it's a constant pattern that escalates until their desire for sex is controlling every aspect of their lives and they feel powerless in their efforts to change.

[@dennisjromero / djromero@laweekly.com / @LAWeeklyNews]

Tags:

porn, psychology, sex, sex addiction, UCLA

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tncdel

A "legitimate disorder along the lines of a drug addiction" is bulldookey pseudo-intellegentia. Addictions are addictions, not mental illness caused by inherent mental disease. Remove the drugs from the person's body and, aside from whatever damage done to the brain by the drugs, the problem is gone.

Sex addiction, gambling addiction, etc. is simply human nature gone amok. Habits are part of human nature. When a person's self-control is weak, they are apt to accede to gratification as a means of coping with or evading reality.

Our culture used to emphasize personal responsibility more than it does today. But the more "politically-correct" our society becomes, the more weird societal behavior will become.

Under Freud's analysis, sex addictions, gambling addictions, etc. derive from the Id. When one's ego is low on self-esteem, the person's self control and principles from the super-ego are insufficient to master the Id.

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innerplay

After 20-plus years actively providing clinical treatment to individuals with self-reported compulsive, addictive and problematic sexual behavior patterns, I can assure you the time has come—in fact, is long overdue—for the mental health community to recognize Hypersexual Disorder (a.k.a. sexual addiction) as a legitimate emotional health concern. The definition now being proposed by Harvard professor Marty Kafka to the American Psychiatric Association’s Workgroup on Sexual and Gender Identity Disorders for inclusion in the DSM 5 (the “diagnostic bible” for psychological disorders) is well thought out, based on decades of tier one, peer reviewed research, and the recently published UCLA-led study definitively supports this. The simple fact is we now have criteria and a great deal of research to accurately identify and treat those with hypersexual disorder—provided the APA is willing to adopt the definition. I am pleased and proud that the Sexual Recovery Institute: Los Angeles, which I established in 1995, served as the primary research site for this most recent UCLA-led study. I look forward to the day my clients are no longer referred to as 'perverts', 'guys or gals gone wild', nympho's or other similar labels that leave them only further shamed and stigmatized. Just as we no longer call alcoholics, "bums" or compulsive gamblers "sociopaths", it's time to be able to accurately identify and treat those with sex and intimacy disorders, while providing them the dignity we all deserve. Sex is fun- sex addiction, not so much.

Robert Weiss LCSW, CSAT

Founder The Sexual Recovery Institute

Los Angeles

NeonMosfet topcommenter

Indiana Senator Mourdock has now stated that rape is "God's Intent". He has just raised sex addiction to the level of a sacrement.

Angela Garcia @NeonMosfet

fibonacci12358

An addiction is when you can't stop doing something that is unnatural. The primary function of any organism is to reproduce and carry on the species. It is hardwired and these uptight academics are wasting their time on a solution that has no problem. It would be more apropos to simply describe these people as "highly focused". The behavior they describe would easily apply to a full range of behaviors anyone would deem normal. I know people whose lifestyles would easily fit the following descriptions (according to this definition) Work addiction, cleaning addiction, do-good addiction, god addiction, fame addiction, shoe addiction, reading addiction, power addiction, on and on.

Gentle_Ben4225

Is there such a disorder called violence addiction? Why is violence more acceptable than sex?

keerie

This is a crock of crap. Suppressing sexual nature is the real problem. Also not understanding sexual behavior and sexual tendencies is the real issue. this sex addiction crap in America is just another way to not deal with comprehensive sexual education. Sure some over do it and allow sex on whatever level to get in the way of their everyday lives but to say that the most natural thing is addictive is ridiculous on a intellectual level especially. Instead of constantly researching critical thinking subject matters that will enhance the human condition especially when it comes to making a critical logical observation we as a society come up with made up bs and find ridiculous ways to prove these ridiculous theories.