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. 2022 Jul 13;11(2):210-215.
doi: 10.1556/2006.2022.00029. Print 2022 Jul 13.

Compulsive Sexual Behavior Disorder should not be classified by solely relying on component/symptomatic features •

Jesús Castro-Calvo  1 , Maèva Flayelle  2 , José C Perales  3 , Matthias Brand  4 , Marc N Potenza  5   6   7   8 , Joël Billieux  2   9
Affiliations

Compulsive Sexual Behavior Disorder should not be classified by solely relying on component/symptomatic features •

Jesús Castro-Calvo et al. J Behav Addict. .

Abstract

The paper by Sassover and Weinstein (2022) contributes to a timely and complex debate related to the classification of Compulsive Sexual Behavior Disorder (CSBD). The recent inclusion of CSBD as an impulse-control disorder in the ICD-11 has generated debate since a competitive view is that CSBD should rather be classified as an addictive disorder. Sassover and Weinstein (2022) reviewed existing evidence and concluded it does not support the conceptualization of CSBD as an addictive disorder. Although we agree regarding the relevance and timely nature of considering the classification of CSBD, we respectfully disagree with the position that relying on the components model of addiction (Griffiths, 2005) is the optimal approach for determining whether or not CSBD is an addictive disorder. In this commentary, we discuss potential pitfalls of relying on the components model to conceptualize CSBD as an addictive disorder and argue that considering a process-based approach is important for advancing this timely debate.

Keywords: addictive behavior; classification; components model of addiction; compulsive behavior; compulsive sexual behavior; impulsive behavior; nosology; psychological processes.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest with respect to the content of this manuscript. MB receives funding (to University of Duisburg-Essen) from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) for the Research Unit ACSID, FOR2974 – 411232260. MNP has consulted for and advised Game Day Data, the Addiction Policy Forum, AXA, Idorsia and Opiant/Lakelight Therapeutics; has been involved in a patent application with Yale University and Novartis; received research support from the Veteran's Administration, Mohegan Sun Casino and the National Center for Responsible Gaming (now the International Center for Responsible Gaming); participated in surveys, mailings, or telephone consultations related to drug addiction, impulse-control disorders, or other health topics; consulted for law offices, the federal public defender's office and gambling entities on issues related to impulse-control and addictive disorders; provided clinical care in the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services Problem Gambling Services Program; performed grant reviews for the National Institutes of Health and other agencies; edited journals and journal sections; given academic lectures in grand rounds, CME events, and other clinical/scientific venues; and generated books or chapters for publishers of mental health texts. MB, MNP, and JB are associate editors of Journal of Behavioral Addictions. The other authors (JCC, MF, and JCP) report no disclosures. The views presented in this manuscript represent those of the authors and not necessarily those of the funding agencies.

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