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If your sex life gets you into trouble, does that make you a sex addict – or just someone who has made some bad choices? The debate over sex addiction has taken a new twist, as guidelines are being drawn up that may recognise sexual compulsivity as a mental disorder.
Sex addiction usually hits the headlines when someone famous gets caught behaving badly and lays the blame on their “disorder”. Celebrities such as Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey have reportedly sought treatment for sex addiction recently.
But many health professionals say sex addiction isn’t a real illness. Even in the US, where the idea is most popular, this diagnosis does not feature in the official textbook of psychiatric illnesses, called the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
Soon those who support the idea