What’s in a name? Plenty if you’re trying to accurately define and treat a psychological problem. No one disputes the fact that some people are remarkably compulsive when it comes to the pursuit of sexual experiences, whether porn or actual sex acts. There’s a lot less agreement, however, on the best way to categorize this compulsivity.

Some argue that sexual compulsivity is essentially the same as any kind of compulsive disorder, such as drug addiction. Just ask Tiger, who has reportedly been spending time at an upscale clinic based on a 12-step addiction model. Other researchers claim that there’s physical evidence from brain scans that sexual compulsivity occurs in a different part of the brain from traditional addictions. They’re not comfortable with the term sex addiction.

Either way, most are glad that experts working on revising a manual to help psychologists diagnose psychological disorders (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders or DSM) are proposing a category to help classify sexually compulsive thoughts and behaviors.

See Physorg for more.