Sex Addiction: the Chicken-and-Egg Dilemma of Diagnosis

Abstract

In May 2013, the American Psychiatric Association will release the next version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V). Interestingly, sex addiction, despite significant attention from mainstream media, will be omitted from the manual. This omission presents a challenge to clinicians who treat sex addiction, and researchers aiming to further our understanding of the issue. This commentary outlines some of the reasons sex addiction was not included in the DSM-V, including a ‘chicken-and-egg’ conundrum, which makes it difficult to generate research without a clear diagnosis, and difficult to establish a definitive diagnosis without a supportive body of research.

Keywords

sex therapy, psychosexual therapy, DSM-V, hypersexuality, sex addiction

How to Cite

Berry, M., (2013) “Sex Addiction: the Chicken-and-Egg Dilemma of Diagnosis”, Opticon1826 15, Art. 8.

20

Views

15

Downloads

Share

Authors

Michael Berry (Psychoanalysis Unit, Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London)

Download

Issue

Publication details

Dates

Licence

All rights reserved

Peer Review

This article has been peer reviewed.

File Checksums (MD5)

  • XML: 20db8c97b77574de57cd4ed4b4daad1b
  • PDF: 20db8c97b77574de57cd4ed4b4daad1b