I clearly remember the first time that I heard of a diagnosis of sex addiction. The news report said that a famous Hollywood actor had been admitted to a clinic to be treated for sex addiction. My immediate response was less than charitable; something along the lines of, 'Well, he's a bloke and a movie star - how can you tell?'

Since that time, the condition has been well documented and has widespread medical recognition.

What is sex addiction?
Sex addiction is defined as any sexually related compulsive behaviour that interferes with normal living and causes severe stress to family, friends, loved ones and working environment.

The compulsive behaviour can be exhibitionism, voyeurism, pornography, telephone sex, indecent phone calls, visiting prostitutes, masturbation, or compulsive homosexual or heterosexual sex. In its most extreme form, it can be compulsive incest, child molestation or rape.

As with other addictions, it completely dominates the life of the sufferer, and becomes more important than family, friends or work.

Who is most likely to suffer from this?
Anyone from any background can suffer from sex addiction, including movie stars, politicians, doctors, lawyers, housewives and factory workers. It is estimated that 3-6% of people are affected. Of those seeking treatment in the USA, around 20% are women. It is thought that most sex addicts were abused as children, either physically, emotionally or sexually. Many have grown up in families in which other sorts of addiction have been evident. This may have been alcoholism, drug addiction, gambling or binge eating.

Do sex addicts have other addictions?
More than half of all sex addicts have another addiction, the most common being chemical dependency (including alcohol). Compulsive spending is a fairly common accompaniment to sex addiction in women.

What about the risks?
As with other addictive behaviours, the risks are ignored by the addict. Every gambler knows that he may lose everything, and every drug addict knows that the next fix could kill him, but these risks have no power to stop the addictive behaviour. Sex addiction is like all other addictions in this respect.

In addition to the risk of losing friends, family and job, some sexual compulsions carry major health risks. Sexually transmitted infections are common, and the risk of HIV infection is high in addicts who use prostitutes or have multiple anonymous sexual partners. Even the possibility of infecting loved ones isn't enough to stop sex addicts from continuing with their addictive behaviour.

How is sex addiction diagnosed?
The diagnosis can only be made by a trained mental health professional. A screening test has been developed to help with diagnosis.

How can an addict get help?
The first step is to admit to the problem, and this can be an enormous hurdle for sex addicts, as they almost always have strong feelings of shame and despair about their addiction. Often they have tried to reduce their compulsive behaviour or stop it by themselves, but this can produce an emotional withdrawal syndrome that is as unbearable as the physical withdrawal experienced by opiate addicts. Fear of the 'fallout' following admission also stops many addicts from seeking help.

A GP consultation is the best place to start. Referral to a specialist mental health professional would be the next step. Treatment options include outpatient and in-patient care, with ongoing after-care support. The mainstay of treatment is behavioural therapy.

Can sex addiction be cured?
As with all addictions, there is a potential for the sufferer to relapse and resume their addictive behaviour, but many make a sustained recovery. Maintaining the recovery is a day-by-day process, just as it is for a recovered alcoholic or drug addict.