There was a recent news article about David Duchovny reportedly being treated for sexual addiction.  The information included the news that he and his wife Tea Leoni were separated. It seems to me that this couple was brave in their honest y to the public even if the press had gotten a hold of this information already. Despite being a celebrity couple, they are two individuals with children and lives that have been disrupted, if not shattered, by  the end of a marriage and the division of a family. Often when a celebrity comes forward with a mental health diagnosis it can cast a glamorous light on what is usually a real and serious problem that can cause a great deal of suffering in people's lives.  The term "Sexual Addiction" is a controversial one and one not always agreed upon in the therapeutic community.  Some professionals believe it is a function of other diagnoses, such as a personality disorder, and others believe it is a catch phrase or even a cop out to explain away bad behavior. 

It is generally agreed upon that the addiction component of this disorder is not unlike other addictions where by the individual's desire to engage in the behavior overrides their fear or concern about the consequences.  The compulsive nature of the sexual acts and the inability to find any lasting satisfaction identifies the behavior as abnormal.  The behavior can manifest itself in many different sexual activities such as masturbation, internet porn, telephone sex lines, and physical contact with others.  The high is typically momentary and the low results in feelings of emptiness and pain.  In order to escape these negative feelings the individual seeks out the "fix", in this case the sexual release, and the cycle begins again.

Many sex offenders suffer from a sexual addiction. Even though we understand these types of crimes to be motivated by a need for power and control, it has been determined recently that there are powerful sex drives, evidenced by changes in the brain, that motivate sexual offenders.  As the addiction progresses the addict needs to up the ante and often engages in more risky or more frequent sexual acts.

Whatever one believes about why people act out in this manner, and what language should be used to describe the disorder, we know that it is an extremely self-destructive way to live.  I applaud celebrities for coming out in the open with personal challenges because it brings these issues into the spot light and may help others to identify and acknowledge their own mental health issues.