The Tiger Who Got Lost in His Woods

Yesterday, the famed- turned -notorious Tiger Woods admitted he is addicted to sex. He told the world he is currently undergoing therapy after his many sexual affairs.

However, sex addiction is still controversial and currently not recognized as an official diagnosis in the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, which is an authority in defining psychological disorders. They may soon list the word, “hypersexuality disorder”  in the next manual.

There are many clinicians who believe there is a clinical phenomenon of people who experience a lot of distress or get into a lot of trouble from having excessive sex,” said Dr Dan Zucker of the University of Toronto.  “Anything in the sex and gender domain is controversial. Everyone has an opinion about sex. These issues raise the boundary between what’s normal and what isn’t — and where do you draw the line,” he said.

A number of clinics — among them one in Mississippi where Woods has been reported to be receiving treatment — have sprung up to treat sex addiction.

People undergoing this treatment have included celebrities such as actor David Duchovny.

Some psychologists opposed to conferring recognition on a diagnosis of “sexual addiction” describe it as a habit or a compulsion, akin to unrestrained gambling, and not an addiction that has a direct impact on brain chemistry.

“Sex addiction by itself is not a diagnosis we currently use,” said Craig Fabrikant, a psychologist at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey.


“It’s like a lot of patterned behaviours that could be better described as obsessive-compulsive traits,” he said. “Are people in a loving relationship oversexed? Is loving sex a sign of addiction? If it feels good, you do it.”

“A chronic adulterer who gets caught might hide behind the term sexual addiction,” Fabrikant said.

“Nevertheless, treating someone who has numerous sex partners might be similar to treating a drug addict — prescribing medication to calm anxiety and talk therapy to learn techniques to handle the urge,” Fabrikant said.

Therapists who specialise in sex addiction say it is comparable to substance abuse and not merely a case of habitually accepting other people’s offers of sex.

The stigma of sex addiction can keep people from getting help, but the problem is “eminently treatable,” said Dr Mark Schwartz of the Masters & Johnson Clinic in St Louis, who treats patients for the condition.