Help spot and treat sex addicts, doctors urged.
Call for urgent study of problem also made - M.Nirmala (KS
guru)
Sex addicts are beginning to be seen in Singapore by sexual
therapists who asked general practitioners at a medical convention
to help spot and treat them. The three speakers - a psychiatrist, a
pychologist and a therapist - yesterday told about 200 doctors and
nurses that they were treating about 20 Singaporeans whose
obsession with sex had ended in divorce of convictions for rape or
molest.
Describing the problem as "the tip of the iceberg", the speakers
also called for an urgent study of the problem "in order to arrest
the snowballing of the sexual addiction problem in
Singapore".
The three are Dr Lim Yun Chin, a psychiatrist, Dr Harold Robers, a
psychologist and Mrs Gallimore, a marriage and family-life
therapist. Dr Lim said work done on other addictions such as
alcoholism and drug abuse in the past 20 years had thrown some
light on this new problem. He defined sex addict as "a guy who has
his genitals in his brain or his brain between his thighs".
Such addiction would be seen in behaviour such as excessive
masturbation UP TO 10 times a day, voyeurism, frequent sex with
prostitutes or an obsession with pornography. While society
tolerated some of this behaviour, it punished those who commit rape
and molest, which was sex addiction at it extreme, he said.
According to Western studies, addicts are often secretive, abused
themselves or their sexual partners and did not feel love or
affection during sex.
And doctors were well placed to spot them as addicts complain to
doctors of problems such as vaginal or anal discomfort,
inappropriate sexual behaviour, eating disorders, depression or
repeated nightmares, which are often disguised cries for
help.
Mrs Gallimore who has been helping counsel the 20-or-so
Singaporeans for the past 2.5 years said the addiction could often
be traced back to the family background. One boy sentenced for rape
had repeatedly molested girls previously but his parents covered up
his crimes. The family history also showed that his grandfathers
and uncles had molested women.
She said that some parents were, in fact, complicating matters by
allowing their young children to stay up with them to watch blue
films, sleep with them and even bathe with them. This was not the
way to bond, she said, adding that the child's sexual values could
become warped by such behaviour. She said that to keep the problem
at bay, Singapore should maintain its emphasis on traditional
family values.
Spotting an addict was the first step in curing him, said Dr Lim,
adding that group therapy was able help recovery. The presentation
was part of a day-long series of talks on sex organised by the
Singapore Medical Association in conjunction with its 25th national
medical convention the Dynasty Ballroom. The convention was held to
educate doctors and members of the public who, for too long. have
been embarassed to talk about sex and its problems.
The afternoon session was attended by doctors. In the morning,
about 400 members of the public listened to Dr Lim Su Min speak on
adolescent sexual development, Fr V. Atputharajah on common sexual
myths, Dr Lee Chuen Neng on sex after a heart attack, and Dr Yu Su
Ling on gynaecological problems.[/b]
