Below is a short questionnaire regarding sexual addiction known as PATHOS.  From from the Latin term for "suffering", PATHOS is a brief screening questionnaire used in determining whether sexual addiction treatment is indicated.  It stands for:

Preoccupied

Do you often find yourself preoccupied with sexual thoughts? 

Ashamed

Do you hide some of your sexual behavior from others? 

Treatment

Have you ever sought therapy for sexual behavior you did not like? 

Hurt others

Has anyone been hurt emotionally because of your sexual behavior? 

Out of control

Do you feel controlled by your sexual desire? 

Sad

When you have sex, do you feel depressed afterwards? 

One positive response to the six questions above signals a need for further assessment by a qualified clinician.  Two or more signal a sexual addiction.

What exactly is sex addiction?

Sexual addiction is rarely one isolated behavior, but one of possibly many in which you feel your life is out of control and has become unmanageable and may be familiar:

• You may have the urge to consistently engage in specific “acting out” behaviors
• Along with the urge to engage in a specific behavior, you may find that it’s become a recurrent pattern, making it untenable
• You may have tried to stop or at least reduce the undesirable sexual behaviors
• You may spend a great deal of time—and energy—in the pursuit of these behaviors
• You may find that you are preoccupied with sexual behaviors that you’re going to engage in or the preparatory activities that are necessary
• You may find that instead of fulfilling your relationship, career or social obligations, you’re engaging in these sexual behaviors
• Your sexual behaviors may be having a recurring effect on you socially, financially, psychologically or physically that’s becoming exacerbated
• You may have a need to increase the intensity, frequency, number, or risk of sexual behaviors to achieve the desired effect
• You may also experience a diminished effect of the sexual behaviors at the same level of intensity, frequency, number, or risk
• You may find yourself giving up or limiting social, occupational, or recreational activities because of your sexual behavior
• You may be experiencing anxiety, distress, restlessness, or irritability if you’re unable to engage in sexual behavior

What do you mean by “acting out” behaviors?

“Acting out” behaviors are those behaviors that are specific to sexual addiction and that signal that the behavior is out of control.  These can include:

• Compulsive sexual episodes
• Anonymous sex
• Compulsive masturbation
• Dangerous sexual activities
• Chronic affairs
• Using prostitution as a sexual outlet
• Exhibitionism
• Pornography
• Voyeurism

If I don’t get this under control, what can happen to me?

The consequences of sexual addiction can be impactful to your life, your relationships and your career.  It may be that you’ve experienced one or more of these losses already and this has prompted you to seek help now, which is a good thing.  It’s never too late to seek help, but your situation may become more desperate, so we urge you to call and learn more today.

In Dr. Patrick Carne’s book Don’t Call It Love (1991), he discusses the prevalence of some of these losses:

• Loss of partner or spouse (40%) 
• Severe marital or relationship problems (70%) 
• Loss of career opportunities (27%) 
• Unwanted pregnancies (40%) 
• Abortions (36%) 
• Suicide obsession (72%) 
• Suicide attempts (17%) 
• Exposure to AIDS and venereal disease (68%) 
• Legal risks from nuisance offenses to rape (58%)

How come none of the therapists I’ve gone to before know anything about sex addiction?

We understand your frustration; let us share with you why you may not have been able to receive the help you desperately need:  Except for Hypersexual Disorder, sexual addiction is not listed as a disorder at this time, in the Diagnostic & Statistical Manual (DSM5). 

As an important diagnostic tool for mental health clinicals, this presents a problem in getting the help you need.  The DSM 5 standardizes mental health disorders to provide a framework for clinicians in developing a diagnosis and preparing treatment plans for yourself, your partner and your family.  So, without this formal acknowledgement of sexual addiction as a disorder, many clinicians are unaware of the complexities surrounding sexual addiction and thus, many symptoms go unrecognized and untreated.  

This makes it critical that you seek help from a professional with advanced training and expertise, which is where we can help.  Karen Kinder, LCPC, LMHC, CSAT (Certified Sexual Addiction Therapist) has undergone extensive, advanced training in the diagnosis and treatment of sexual addiction and related disorders.

Sexual addiction is a complex addiction but there is hope! As a trained Certified Sex Addiction Therapist (CSAT), I (Karen Kinder, LCPC, LMHC, CSAT) have completed training developed by Dr. Patrick Carnes which required attendance at multiple training modules and supervision with a CSAT Supervisor. It also requires ongoing education so that ASATs/CSATs such as myself are experts in providing sexual addiction therapy. It is a rigorous process designed to help me best help you. 

Learn more about treatment for sex addiction including an initial (free) sexual addiction screening assessment; please visit SexHelp.com. IF you are a partner, take the Partner Sexuality Survey.

HOW TO GET STARTED

Please give us a call today at (217) 345-4642 or contact us via the form below so that see how we can best be of help.  We look forward to hearing from you.