Is Sexual Addiction An Actual Disorder Or Just An Excuse For Bad Behavior?

If there is one thing that the whole Tiger Woods Infidelity imbroglio has done for serious medical debate, it has raised the question of the legitimacy of sexual addiction as a disorder.

As Woods receives treatment for his serial infidelities, the medical community is divided about what ails the man and others like him: is it an obsessive-compulsive disorder, is it a sign of depression or just plain and simple bad behavior?

According to the report, the research on such ‘hypersexual behavior’ is still in its infancy and cannot clearly be classified as a ‘disorder’ and as such there is much debate about including this in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). Pedophilia has long been part of the DSM, however homosexuality, which was once a part of it now no longer is.

There is an acknowledgment that hypersexual behavior is a serious condition, and that it can result in grave situations such as divorce, pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. It has been likened to other addictions such as gambling and shopping. Also this may have certain similarities with substance abuse problems.

What implies sexual deviant behavior also changes with different social ethos; so as of now there is really no one objective answer to the question.

Source: latimes