A discursive analysis exploring constructions of sex addiction in clinical text and 'addict' accounts

Introduction: Numerous accounts have been developed which portray sex addiction and the sex addict. These in turn have led to screening tools, said to be capable of accurately distinguishing the sex addict from non-addicts. However, there are a wealth of various, diverse and conflicting understandings of addiction, sexuality and sex addiction. Sex addiction also carries moral implications, leading some to argue the term is used as stigmatising label for those who deviate from a socially constructed sexual standard. Despite the clinical significance of the growing use of the term, to date there has been a dearth of research which has critically reflected on sex addiction as a concept, and the meaning for those who identify as sex addicts. Objective: This study aimed to explore a seminal text and screening assessment’s description of sex addiction; as well as sex addicts and nonaddicts’ own descriptions of their sexual behaviour and perspectives on sexual addiction; using a qualitative methodology sensitive to the adaptable and social and historical contextual aspects of discourse. Design: A primarily Foucauldian Discourse Analysis approach was taken in the analysis of data from text and semi-structured interviews. Method: Data was collected from the book “Out of the Shadows: Understanding Sex Addiction” (Carnes’, 2001), and the “Sex Addiction Screening Test – Revised” (Carnes, Green & Carnes, 2010), as well as from nine interviews conducted with men identifying as sex addicts and non-addicts from both the UK and USA. Results: The findings demonstrated three main discourses: A Loss of Control, ‘Good’ vs. ‘Bad’ sex, and a Cultural Imperative to Intervene in Sex Addiction. The study demonstrated expert, addicts and non-addicts talk about sex addiction show a number of similarities and some select distinctions. The ways in which sex addiction was talked about were complex and at times inconsistent. Scientific, psychological and moralistic discourses were commonly drawn on to position sex addiction as distinguishable from ‘normal’ sexual behaviour. Health and biomedical discourses were also drawn on to manage accountability, and to construct the sex addict as sick, naïve and disempowered. Correspondingly there was a reciprocal-construction of experts as credible and impartial in being able to identify sex addiction. These experts and wider society were necessitated to identify and protect against a projected exponential rise in sex addiction, catalysed by the advance and accessibility of Internet pornography. Discussion: The study offers new understanding on the discourses of sexual addiction and the subject positioning, actions and subjectivities it creates and restricts for those identifying as sex addicts. Those discourses identified correspond with contemporary discourses surrounding addiction and sexuality; though offer novel permutations which invite further research. The results of this study ascertain that there is a need for healthcare professionals to reflect upon the risks of uncritical acceptance and practice using the sex addiction label, given the breadth and diversity of discourses it encompasses

Ski Resorts and and the National Forests: Rethinking Forest Service Management Practices for Recreational Use

Skiing, as recognized by Congress, is a popular, healthful, and life-enriching use of National Forest Land. In 1986, Congress passed legislation to make it easier for ski resort developers to obtain permits, but a textual bias in the Forest Service’s implementing regulations and attacks by environmentalists both in the courts and literally at the sites has largely defeated that intent. Also, the Forest Service recently proposed new restrictions on Colorado’s White River National Forest that, among others, would limit ski resorts to the size of their current permits. This Comment will explore the Forest Service’s proposal in the context of the ongoing debate over National Forest resource management. It will compare the current system with EPA’s Project XL, which rewards superior performance and innovation in environmental protection. This Comment suggests that an approach to National Forest resource management that incorporates the rationales of Project XL would ameliorate the protection of our National Forests and the relationship between the Forest Service, developers, recreational users, and environmentalists

Topical agents or dressings for pain in venous leg ulcers.

Venous leg ulcers affect up to 1% of people at some time in their lives and are often painful. The main treatments are compression bandages and dressings. Topical treatments to reduce pain during and between dressing changes are sometimes used

Troubling Vulnerability: Designing with LGBT Young People's Ambivalence Towards Hate Crime Reporting

HCI is increasingly working with ?vulnerable? people yet there is a danger that the label of vulnerability can alienate and stigmatize the people such work aims to support. We report our study investigating the application of interaction design to increase rates of hate crime reporting amongst Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender young people. During design-led workshops participants expressed ambivalence towards reporting. While recognizing their exposure to hate crime they simultaneously rejected ascription as victim as implied in the act of reporting. We used visual communication design to depict the young people?s ambivalent identities and contribute insights on how these fail and succeed to account for the intersectional, fluid and emergent nature of LGBT identities through the design research process. We argue that by producing ambiguous designed texts, alongside conventional qualitative data, we ?trouble? our design research narratives as a tactic to disrupt static and reductive understandings of vulnerability within HCI

Hospital expenditure at the end-of-life: what are the impacts of health status and health risks?

Background: It is important for health policy and expenditure projections to understand the relationship between age, death and expenditure on health care (HC). Research has shown that older age groups incur lower hospital costs than previously anticipated and that remaining time to death (TTD) was a much stronger indicator for expenditure than age. How health behaviour or risk factors impact on HC utilisation and costs at the end of life is relatively unknown. Smoking and Body Mass Index (BMI) have featured most prominently and mixed findings exist as to the exact nature of this association.<p></p> Methods: This paper considers the relationship between TTD, age and expenditure for inpatient care in the last 12 quarters of life; and introduces measures of health status and risks. A longitudinal dataset covering 35 years is utilised, including baseline survey data linked to hospital and death records. The effect of age, TTD and health indicators on expenditure for inpatient care is estimated using a two-part model.<p></p> Results: As individuals approach death costs increase. This effect is highly significant (p<0.01) from the last until the 8th quarter before death and influenced by age. Statistically significant effects on costs were found for: smoking status, systolic blood pressure and lung function (FEV1). On average, smokers incurred lower quarterly costs in their last 12 quarters of life than non-smokers (~7%). Participants’ BMI at baseline did show a negative association with probability of HC utilisation however this effect disappeared when costs were estimated.<p></p> Conclusions: Health risk measures obtained at baseline provide a good indication of individuals’ probability of needing medical attention later in life and incurring costs, despite the small size of the effect. Utilising a linked dataset, where such measures are available can add substantially to our ability to explain the relationship between TTD and costs.<p></p&gt

Alien Registration- Briggs, James R. (Reed Plantation, Aroostook County)

https://digitalmaine.com/alien_docs/32548/thumbnail.jp