Sex addiction: Does it exist?

By Martin Hutchinson

Irresistible for some?

A man is suing his former employer for $5m after being fired for visiting "adult" internet chat rooms while at work.

James Pacenza claims he suffers from "sex addiction", and that his bosses should have shown him sympathy, rather than the door.

But is sexual addiction a genuine psychological condition, or just a handy excuse?

Sex has only recently joined gambling, shopping and even chocolate in the long list of items on which, claim some patients, they have a deep psychological dependence.

In the US, particularly, it is now a recognised condition, with even celebrities such as actor Michael Douglas treated for the condition in a Hollywood clinic, and there have been dozens of scientific papers published on the subject.

It would be very difficult for a patient who perceived that they had this problem to get help, certainly within the NHS Dr Geoff Hackett, British Society of Sexual Medicine

While some dissenters remain, respectable medical establishments such as the Mayo Clinic offer advice on sex addiction on their website, describing addicts as people who spend "inordinate amounts of time" in sex-related activities while neglecting other aspects of day-to-day life.

On the other side of the Atlantic, however, sex addiction is not firmly in the mainstream thinking of doctors and psychologists.

One who does believe in it is Dr Geoff Hackett, chairman of the British Society of Sexual Medicine.

However, he says it is awkward for anyone complaining of the disorder to get treatment in this country.

"It would be very difficult for a patient who perceived that they had this problem to get help, certainly within the NHS.

"There are perhaps two or three people in all of England who have the necessary expertise to treat it."

'Not accepted'

He said that even more mainstream projects looking into the suggestion that up to 30% of women have 'underactive sexual desire' has fallen on deaf ears among committees funding research, so the idea that men or women could be addicted to having sex is even less likely to prosper.

"In the US, it certainly does have some recognition, but in the UK, it is difficult to get any new concept about sex disorders accepted."

My feeling is that this is a reflection of the societies we live in Dr Ian Banks, Men's Health Forum

Not everyone is entirely convinced about this new sexual disorder.

Dr Ian Banks, chairman of the Men's Health Forum, and a working GP, suspects that the emergence of sex addiction may be more to do with changing cultural views of sex rather than any psychological defect.

He said: "There have always been a wide range of libido levels in society, and a high libido may be viewed as acceptable in one country, and unacceptable in another country, such as the US.

"Part of the problem is that while in cases of low sex drive we can often identify a medical condition underlying and causing it, I'm not aware of any medical condition that could contribute to a very high libido.

"My feeling is that this is a reflection of the societies we live in. Sometimes there is an awful lot of pressure on people to conform sexually."