Once derided as a convenient excuse for philandering celebrities, sex addiction is set to receive the stamp of official recognition.
The condition, in which “sufferers” have a relentless desire for intercourse, even if this means wrecking relationships, is under discussion for inclusion in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
The manual, published by the American Psychiatric Association (APA), is considered the definitive guide to what constitutes a genuine psychological disorder, as opposed to an imaginary ailment.
Those who have received treatment for sex addiction have included Tiger Woods, who had committed a string of infidelities. The comedian Russell Brand, who claims to have slept with about 1,000 women, has also been treated.
As the condition becomes increasingly fashionable, some British psychiatrists report seeing up to three affected patients a year, while their American counterparts claim they are treating one or two new sufferers a week.
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The Priory chain of clinics reports strong business in sex addiction treatment. As well as fuelling a boom in patients coming forward, recognition by the APA could lead to a boom in interest from the drugs industry, which sees it as a way of finding new markets for re-packaged anti-depressants and sex-drive-suppressing treatments.
Although the NHS does not recognise sex addiction in Britain, it may reconsider. Gambling addiction, for example, has recently been classified as a mental illness, and the health service is now running a pilot project for treatment.
Many psychiatrists agree sex addiction is a genuine condition, with the problem worsened by the far easier access to sex brought about by the internet.
The Priory says its patients “work on themselves for eight or nine hours a day in group therapy, in individual sessions with their psychiatrists and with a wide range of trained therapists”.