Is Sex Addiction Real?
19.02.10
In his mea culpa today, golf superstar Tiger Woods said that he had completed 45 days of inpatient treatment to try to deal with his problems, and would now return to undergo more treatment.
But should Tiger's problem -- that he had extramarital affairs with many women, risking his career, family, and dignity -- really be considered a medical condition that needs to be treated?
Late last year, inspired by the early reports of Woods' treatment, Forbes took a look at the science behind sexual addiction. We found that although there are treatment programs for sexual compulsion, the scientific evidence for treating the problem as a disease is relatively thin and not accepted by many psychiatrists. (See: The Shadowy Science of Sex Addiction )
Psychiatry's Bible, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV), does not include a diagnosis for sexual addiction. A new version, the DSM-V, is likely to contain a diagnosis for a similar disorder, hypersexuality. But psychiatry as a field has been skeptical of the idea of people being addicted to behaviors, because there is not proof that a bad habit is the same kind of biological issue as a dependence on alcohol, nicotine, or heroin.
Source: Forbes (blog)
Botox May Reduce Migraine Headaches Described as 'Eye-Popping'
15.02.10
By Nicole Ostrow
Feb. 15 (Bloomberg) -- Allergan Inc.’s Botox, given in the doses used to reduce facial wrinkles, may stop certain kinds of migraines that patients describe as crushing or “eye-popping” more than other types, a study found.
Patients who responded to Botox reported their migraines were reduced to fewer than 1 day a month from almost 7, according to a study of 18 people published today in the Archives of Dermatology. The researchers said that people with migraine pain called “imploding” -- that felt like a vise was tightened around their heads -- were helped more than those whose migraine pain felt “explosive.”
Medical trials have reported inconsistent data on how much Botox helps reduce migraine pain, the researchers said. Irvine, California-based Allergan has filed for approval with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to market Botox as a treatment for chronic migraines, which affects about three million Americans, company spokeswoman Crystal Muilenburg said.
Source: BusinessWeek
Antidepressants like Paxil and Zoloft, epilepsy drugs like Topamax, and antipsychotics like Zyprexa or Abilify have all been mentioned as potential sex