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When Tiger Woods reportedly entered a sex-addiction treatment clinic in Mississippi, he may have heartened others to seek help as well, therapists say.

On the other hand, the public attention and bawdy jokes directed at the world's greatest golfer may have heightened feelings of guilt that sex addicts already face.

Either way, there's no doubt the saga of Woods' marital troubles has boosted public curiosity about sex addiction: What is it exactly? How is it treated?

And it has raised questions about a celebrity's right to privacy, as paparazzi reportedly have pursued Woods to the cottages of Gentle Path, the sex-addiction treatment program, located a few miles from the main campus of Pine Grove Behavioral Health and Addiction Services in Hattiesburg.

"I hate personally that this is so publicized for him. What gives us the right to be so involved in his life?" said Amy Christian, a licensed practical counselor who has worked with sex-addiction patients.

"Right now, he needs treatment; and sensitivity should be given to him and his wife," said Christian, director of student counseling services at Mississippi College. "(Sex addiction) can wreck families."

Those who treat sex addiction compare it to drug, drinking or gambling habits.
"It takes over your personal life, just like alcohol," said Christian, who wrote her dissertation on cybersex addiction. "It's not someone who just likes sex; it's much deeper than that."

Almost half the patients she has seen experienced some type of sexual abuse or trauma, including rape. Many sex addicts also are besotted by something else, such as drugs, overeating, work or gambling.

Their sexual obsession may be Internet sex, masturbation or pornography.

"Many are medicating their pain," said Doug Weiss, a national sex-addiction expert based in Colorado. "Some use pornography, for instance, to medicate the circumstances in their lives."

Many resort to extra-marital affairs. A charge of myriad infidelities was leveled at Woods following the infamous November car crash outside his home in Florida.
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