D
id Jesse James have a sexual addiction,
a mental disorder comparable to alco-
hol or drug addiction? (Whatever it was, he
claims his marriage to a new wife in 2013
cured it.) Or is he simply one of many guys
who believe that because they are rich,
famous, and successful, they are entitled to
all the sex they can get? How broadly should
we define the term addiction? Should it
include compulsive Internet use, shopping
more than your budget can afford, or eating
too much chocolate?
And how about college student Matthew
Small, who had a 4.0 average until he
began to immerse himself in the virtual
World of Warcraft? He spent at least six
hours a day collecting armor, swords, and
other cyber-gear for his character. His close
friends drifted away, and his grades slipped.
One day he realized that in just one semes-
ter he had logged more than 1,000 hours
playing the game. He decided it was time to
turn in his armor.
You don’t have to be a psychologist to
recognize the most extreme forms of abnor-
mal behavior. When people think of mental
illness, they usually think of individuals who
have delusions, behave in bizarre ways, or
commit random murders and other heartless
crimes. But most psychological problems are
far less dramatic and far more common than
the public’s impression of them. Some peo-
ple go through episodes of complete inability
to function, yet get along fine between those
episodes. Some people function adequately
every day, yet suffer constant melancholy,
always feeling below par. And some people
cannot control their worries or tempers.
In this chapter, you will learn about
some of the psychological problems that
cause people unhappiness and anguish, as
well as about the severe disorders that make
people unable to control their behavior. But
be forewarned: One of the most common
worries that people have is “Am I normal?”
It is normal to fear being abnormal, espe-
cially when you are reading about psycho-
logical problems! But it is also normal to
have problems. All of us on occasion have
difficulties that seem too much to handle,
and it is often unclear precisely when “nor-
mal” problems shade into “abnormal” ones.
You are about to learn...
• why insanity is not the same thing as having a
mental disorder.
• how mental disorders differ from normal
problems.
• why the standard professional guide to the diag-
nosis of mental disorders is controversial.
• why popular “projective” tests, such as the
Rorschach inkblot test, are not reliable.Diagnosing Mental
Disorders LO 11.1
Many people confuse unusual behavior— behavior
that deviates from the norm—with mental disorder,
but the two are not the same. A person may behave
in ways that are statistically rare (collecting ceramic
pigs, being a genius at math, committing murder)
without having a mental illness. Conversely, someKimmel said, “‘I’m addicted to sex’ is the new,
grown-up version of ‘the dog ate my homework.’”
Some psychotherapists, however, consider
sexual addiction to be a true disorder that involves
an escalating preoccupation with sexual activity
to cover up past pain or trauma. Therapists may
prescribe a 12-step program, group therapy, and
sometimes medication to help presumed addicts
regulate their cravings. On the Internet, bloggerskeep track of “celebrity sex addicts.” James him-
self says he is not a sex addict, the kind of person
who can’t stop having affairs, though he admitted
on “Nightline” that he had done stupid things
“to sabotage my life.” There is currently much
debate about whether the psychiatric reference
book, The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of
Mental Disorders, will include anything like sex
addiction in its forthcoming edition.