Troy Media
By Dr. Stephen Murgatroyd
February 21, 2010

Psychiatrists are currently debating whether “sex addiction” should be added to the catalogue of psychological disorders that can be reliably diagnosed and treated.

On the one hand, some are saying that sexual addiction, in the true sense of a diagnosis, is a real disorder and anyone who works with sex addicts know that they have a long array of behaviours. Others, however, believe the term is simply used to excuse bad behaviour.

Next in line will be the Tiger Woods syndrome, along with catastrophic views on the environment, an addiction to Starbucks, liking Barry Manilow and singing the praises of Rush Limbaugh. Soon all of our lives will be illness states, with some of us coping better than others in managing our daily diagnostics and treating ourselves through counselling, psychiatry and self-medication.

Everything is problematic

The quest to add sex addiction to the catalogue of recognized illness states is just a part of the desire of psychiatrists to identify everything as problematic. The handbook for diagnosis, known as the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), now in its 4th edition, is the bible of mental illness. If you want to call in sick, go to the library and find a copy – it’s a treasure trove of sick-day opportunities. A new edition, the fifth, is due in 2013.

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