It almost sounds fake, sex addiction? Humans love sex - other than eating, it's really one of the only physical pleasures we can participate in, and yet, we giggle when Tiger Woods or Anthony Weiner give a press conference to say they're checking in to rehab to treat sex addiction.
In the last two weeks a sinister story out of Hollywood has emerged that super producer Harvey Weinstein is a serial and brutal sexual predator. Just as quickly as the story developed, Weinstein publicly apologized to his wife and children and vowed to seek treatment for his disease.
But what does that entail?
The DSM has yet to recognize sex addiction as a disorder but psychiatrists are lobbying to have it included as a behavioral addiction and impulse control disorder.
There are more classical types of sex addiction: it gets more developed over time, starting with masturbation leading to chat rooms, and even meeting strangers for sex. One doctor spoke of a patient who compulsively masturbates for six hours a day!
Treatment follows typical drug rehab guidelines - very regimented schedules:
- Breakfast in the morning
- Meditation for thirty minutes
- Group therapy
Patients aren't allowed to leave the rehab campus for the first two weeks of treatment. This is their 'detox' time. During this time they're really focusing and learning about how to treat people like PEOPLE, not sex objects.
Read more at The Cut
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