Medicalization of Sex Addiction: Society's Obsession with Medical Diagnosis

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Recommended: Early history of mental illness

Medicalization describes the shift in authority concerning abnormal human conditions. Quirks previously seen as by-products of maturation began to see heavy examination and were classified under medical terms. As a result, the past few decades have seen an obscene number of compulsions and disorders deemed medical conditions, further exacerbating the unnecessary institutionalization of many harmless irregularities. This string coincides with the growing popularity of sex addiction and the debate over its inclusion in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). The mere thought of such a neurotic desire potentially joining the DSM alongside major mental and learning disorders epitomizes the depths to which society has sunk in recognition of truly straining abnormalities. The medicalization of sex addiction demonstrates the lengths at which medical authority will go to inject another fabricated disease into the blood of society.

While alleged sex addictions have existed for many years, they have only recently been accepted as valid excuses for sexual deviancy. Attitudes toward sex addiction in the past offer a stark contrast to how it is viewed today, as the constantly medicalizing society insists on putting everything under the technical microscope. Sex addiction is commonly associated with a person’s inability to control his sexual behavior, implying an abnormally high sex drive and obsession with sex which have negative effects on his personal life (MedicineNet 2007, 1). Rather than breaking down the science behind the disorder, a customary practice in today’s medicalized society, older attitudes towards sex addiction placed it under the same light as alcoholism, where a lack of control and unwillin...

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...e gap in attitudes between pre-medicalized and modern time periods. The trends of technological advancement and human understanding project a completely medicalized future in which medical authorities cement their place above an intently obedient society.

Works Cited
"Canada Sex Addiction Treatment." Canada Detox and other Medical Alcohol and Drug Rehab Programs.

Sunshine Coast Health Center, n.d. Web. 3 Mar. 2010.
Addiction-Treatment.html#whatis>.

"Sexual Addiction." MedicineNet. The Cleveland Clinic, 26 Dec. 2007. Web. 1 Mar. 2010.

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"Treatment of Sexual Addiction." HealthyPlace.com - Trusted Mental Health Information and Support.

HealthyPlace, 25 Sept. 2009. Web. 2 Mar. 2010.
porn/treatment-sexual-addiction/menu-id-54/>.

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