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