Folks are still gabbing about Tiger Woods' public apology for his infidelity, not to mention his admission of spending 45-days in a treatment facility. And everyone's entered the fray: were his philandering ways evidence of a sex addiction? Does such a thing even exist?
Technically, no. But possibly, yes. Confused? Well, even the psychologists can't agree on the topic.
"Sex addiction" is not listed in the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. But "hypersexuality disorder" is being considered for the next addition, explains this Reuters piece.
"There's been a lot of hype about it and I think it's unproven at present," Peter Nathan, a professor emeritus of psychology at the University of Iowa told the Sacramento Bee. "It's bad behavior, it's troublesome behavior, it gets people in a lot of trouble, but I can't say it forms to usual addictions."
But the story quotes another psychologist who insists the condition is not only real, it's becoming more of a problem in our hyper-sexual society.
The idea that one can be addicted to sex is laughable to some (I'll admit, I chuckled). Meanwhile others insist the condition can be disastrous and needs better study to understand its roots.
Therapies are scarce, but the NYT reports that it's often treated with antidepressants, traditional talk therapy and the 12-step program used in Alcoholics Anonymous. Sex-addiction counselors familiar with one program told the Times that Wood's daily schedule at his treatment center likely began with morning meditation and exercise "including obstacle courses to build trust with other patients and eye movement exercises to 'get through his defenses'."
So what do you think? Sex addiction: real or excuse?
AP photo