Often I am asked to speak with physicians and other professionals in the community to help them understand more about sex addiction in their clinical practice. A very quick and useful tool to understand if further evaluation is needed is something referred to as PATHOS.
Physicians and mental health clinicians who have been trained to quickly screen for chemical dependency issues are aware of the CAGE Screening tool. (Have you ever tried to Cut back, Are people Annoyed by your use, Have you ever felt Guilty for your use, etc…)
PATHOS is the parallel screening tool to CAGE for Sex Addiction.
Are You:
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?
If you answered YES to 3 of 6 of these it’s highly likely you have a problem and we strongly recommend that you:
Call 770.908.7391 for a free phone consultation to learn more from a Certified Sex Addiction Therapist (CSAT).
Additional information on Self Testing.