Clinicians’ Beliefs, Observations, and Treatment Effectiveness Regarding Clients’ Sexual Addiction and Internet Pornography Use

Abstract

This study addressed how sex addiction and problematic IP use present to mental health professionals (MHPs), and how MHPs conceptualize and treat these issues. MHPs (N = 183) reported on beliefs about, experiences with, and treatment of problematic sexual behaviors (PBS). Most MHPs saw clients with PBS, but most do not feel competent to treat PBS. Specialized MHPs endorsed seeing more clients with PBS and feeling more effective than nonspecialists. Sexual addiction and problematic IP use share similarities, but differ in etiology and co-occurring problems. Diagnostic ambiguity, insufficient knowledge, and limited dissemination may hinder MHPs ability to assess and treat PBSs.

Sex addiction: therapist perspectives

“…Therapists commented on the low level of awareness amongst health professionals and counsellors and the inadequate provision available to support sexual addiction. This is consistent with previous reports of misdiagnosis and under diagnosis (Sussman, Lisha, & Griffiths, 2011;Swisher, 1995) and reports from mental health professionals themselves that they do not feel competent to treat problematic sexual behaviour (Short, Wetterneck, Bistricky, Shutter, & Chase, 2016). This situation may reflect a general reluctance to discuss sexual behaviour (Gott, Galena, Hinchliff, & Elford, 2004).…”

Online Porn Addiction: What We Know and What We Don’t—A Systematic Review

“…Undoubtedly, psychotherapy can be an important tool in fully comprehending and changing a behavior. While cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is considered by many clinicians to be useful in treating hypersexual disorder [179], a study that involved problematic online pornography users failed to achieve a reduction of the behavior [180], even if the severity of comorbid depressive symptoms and general quality of life was improved. This brings up the interest notion that merely reducing pornography use may not represent the most important treatment goal [170].…”

Moral Incongruence and Pornography Use: A Critical Review and Integration

“…In clinical and applied settings, the implications of the present review are of key importance. As previously reviewed, increasing numbers of psychiatrists (Gola & Potenza, 2016;Kraus et al, 2015) and mental health professionals more broadly (Kalman, 2008;Short et al, 2016) report encountering problematic IPU in clinical practice. Although many of these encounters represent truly dysregulated behavior patterns (Kraus et al, 2015), given the lack of diagnostic and assessment clarity about…”