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To me it is very interesting to hear where and when addiction is drawn. And I hear a vast array of satirical and sarcastic responses such as: Is it after viewing pornography 4 times a week that constitutes addiction and 3 is not addiction? Or, “Well, if sex is an addiction, it’s the way I wanna go!” However, sexual addiction is just as real as any other addiction even though it is currently not recognized as such in the DSM-IV, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders published in 1994, the Bible of Psychiatry. However, it was briefly mentioned in DSM-III only mentioned the term “nonparaphilic sexual addiction” as an example of a sexual disorder not otherwise specified (SOURCE).
Sexual addiction was first written about in 1983 by Patrick Carnes and contains several hundred articles in PsycINFO.
John M Grohol, CEO and founder of PsychCentral, notes,
Compulsions, as defined by the DSM-IV, are not something that bring a person pleasure. That is why gambling is defined as simply “pathological” and not “compulsive.” [previously, Dr. Grohol wrote: "Sexual addiction, like other behavioral compulsions outside of gambling, has never made it into the DSM."] The only recognition in the DSM-IV that a person might engage in an enjoyable sexual activity to some extreme is the inclusion of a class of sexual disorders known as paraphilias. Paraphilias are “recurrent, intense sexually arousing fantasies, sexual urges, or behaviors generally involving (1) nonhuman objects, (2) the suffering or humiliation of oneself or one’s partner, or (3) children or other nonconsenting persons.” So while arguably the DSM-IV recognizes sexual compulsions, it’s only in the context of some sexual object, scene or person. (SOURCE)
This is very interesting especially since that pornography is a nonhuman object, so why can it not be classified as some sort of compulsion addiction?
Dr. Howard Schaefer of Harvard Medical School discusses “What is Addiction?” (a very good article I might add). In it, he talks about the conceptual confusion around the definition of addiction, distinctions among “use, abuse, dependence, and addiction,” the neurochemistry of addiction, the objects of addiction, and finally concluding on an operational definition of addiction. He simply states that there are three C’s to addiction:
- Craving/Compulsion: Behavior that is motivated by emotions ranging along the Craving to Compulsion spectrum. This craving is intense and persistent.
- Continued Use: There is a continued use in spite of adverse consequences. So despite being aware of some of the harmful consequences both mentally, emotionally, and even physically, you do it anyway.
- Control: There is a loss of behavioral control. There is a building up of tolerance and there is withdrawal.
These 3 C’s are easy to remember and will be helpful to unprofessionally decide whether someone needs to seek help from a professional. The essence of this addiction, as with all addictions, is the experience of powerlessness over a compulsive behavior fueled by an insatiable desire.
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