----- Forwarded message from "Dr. David Hersh" Dr_Sex@telus.net -----
From: "Dr. David Hersh" Dr_Sex@telus.net Date: Fri, 31 Oct 2003 16:37:38 -0800 To: jwales@bomis.com Subject: Wikipedia
I'm not thrilled to see the following from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexology#History_of_the_study_of_sex
"Sexology is the systematic study of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki//wiki/Human_sexualityhuman sexuality. It encompasses all aspects of sexuality, including: * http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki//w/wiki.phtml?title=Sex_addiction&action=editSexhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki//w/wiki.phtml?title=Sex_addiction&action=edit addiction " I would say that most of us who identify as sexologist do not use the above terminology. I cite the following from the eminent Dr. Charles Moser, "Addiction is a physiological dependence. When alcoholics stop drinking, they get the sweats, their heart rate goes up, their reflexes increase, etc. They can even develop the DT's. Heroin addicts have their own withdrawal syndrom, but again it involves physiological changes (I do not mean to imply that there are not psychological changes as well.). If sex "addicts" are denied sex, they may have all sorts of psychological problems, but they do not go into a physiological withdrawal. FYI,addiction is not listed in the DSM-IV, it is called dependence."
Please eliminate this category and stop perpetuating a false condition.
David Hersh ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ David S. Hersh, Ed.D., FAACS Clinical Sexologist http://Doctor-Sex.org ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
----- End forwarded message -----
Jimmy Wales wrote:
terminology. I cite the following from the eminent Dr. Charles Moser, "Addiction is a physiological dependence. When alcoholics stop drinking, they get the sweats, their heart rate goes up, their reflexes increase, etc. They can even develop the DT's. Heroin addicts have their own withdrawal syndrom, but again it involves physiological changes (I do not mean to imply that there are not psychological changes as well.). If sex "addicts" are denied sex, they may have all sorts of psychological problems, but they do not go into a physiological withdrawal. FYI,addiction is not listed in the DSM-IV, it is called dependence."
Please eliminate this category and stop perpetuating a false condition.
Perhaps you are unaware of the long-held acceptance among medical practitioners and researchers that there are two major types of addictions, physiological and psychological? This is neither a new nor a fringe development. Perhaps "sexologists" do not recognize it, but the majority of doctors do.
-Mark
Jimmy Wales wrote:
terminology. I cite the following from the eminent Dr. Charles Moser, "Addiction is a physiological dependence. When alcoholics stop drinking, they get the sweats, their heart rate goes up, their reflexes increase, etc. They can even develop the DT's. Heroin addicts have their own withdrawal syndrom, but again it involves physiological changes (I do not mean to imply that there are not psychological changes as well.). If sex "addicts" are denied sex, they may have all sorts of psychological problems, but they do not go into a physiological withdrawal. FYI,addiction is not listed in the DSM-IV, it is called dependence."
Please eliminate this category and stop perpetuating a false condition.
Perhaps you are unaware of the long-held acceptance among medical practitioners and researchers that there are two major types of addictions, physiological and psychological? This is neither a new nor a fringe development. Perhaps "sexologists" do not recognize it, but the majority of doctors do.
-Mark
What the complainer is asking us to do is to conform to the latest DSM-IV which is a catalog of mental disorders which the psychiatric community have determined actually exist and for which they have designated certain descriptive names. The content of this catalog changes over time, for example, not too long ago homosexuality was removed from the list. It is hazardous to ignore DSM-IV since the psychiatric community is in touch with the symptoms people present and consequently speak with some authority.
However dependence and addiction seem pretty synonymous to a layperson.
Fred
Fred Bauder wrote:
What the complainer is asking us to do is to conform to the latest DSM-IV which is a catalog of mental disorders which the psychiatric community have determined actually exist and for which they have designated certain descriptive names. The content of this catalog changes over time, for example, not too long ago homosexuality was removed from the list. It is hazardous to ignore DSM-IV since the psychiatric community is in touch with the symptoms people present and consequently speak with some authority.
However dependence and addiction seem pretty synonymous to a layperson.
It's hazardous to ignore it, but as you pointed out, it's hazardous to accept it as well. If we accepted the DSM-III, we'd define homosexuality unequivocally as a "mental disorder" in some cases requiring treatment; I see no reason to believe that the revision from III to IV has magically made the DSM free of all such egregiously biased points of view.
On this particular issue I'd rather take our guidance from Intro to Biology textbooks, which are a pretty good indication of what's generally accepted knowledge among the wider biological community.
In fact I'd consider that a pretty good principle in general. If most intro textbooks on the subject generally say one thing, we should say the same thing, even if some "authorities" disagree (though we should of course point out such disagreements where they exist, as in "most textbooks on the subject.say 'blah blah'; however X says 'blah blah' instead").
-Mark
In fact I'd consider that a pretty good principle in general. If most intro textbooks on the subject generally say one thing, we should say the same thing, even if some "authorities" disagree (though we should of course point out such disagreements where they exist, as in "most textbooks on the subject.say 'blah blah'; however X says 'blah blah' instead").
-Mark
Well, that's just being a slave to a different master. I'm not sure we can trust the winner of the academic dogfight either. I think of the days when psychology was defined as behaviorism and that was what all the introductory textbooks said, but it was mostly bull.
Fred