🎙️ Welcome to Episode 1 of Mental Health Rewritten!

In our season-opening episode, we confront one of the most misunderstood and stigmatized topics in mental health: sex addiction.

Through the story of Daniel — a man whose professional success masks a deep internal struggle — we explore how compulsive sexual behavior impacts relationships, careers, and personal identity. 

Along the way, we challenge misconceptions about sex addiction, examine its clinical roots, and highlight the hidden pain it causes across gender lines and around the world.

🧠 Featuring clinical insights from Havi Kang, Dr. Justin Dodson, and Dr. Alexandra Katehakis, alongside research from Mayo Clinic and YouGov, we uncover:

• What defines sex addiction and compulsive sexual behavior

• Why shame and secrecy make healing harder

• How societal stigma silences both men and women

• The global scope of this often-taboo disorder

Rooted in research from the DSM-5 and ICD-11, and grounded in real-world stories, Mental Health Rewritten opens conversations where silence once reigned.

🎧 Tune in to hear how Daniel’s journey toward healing begins — and how, together, we can start to rewrite the narrative about addiction, identity, and hope.

🔗 Listen now and subscribe for upcoming episodes exploring suicide, racial trauma, and more.

🧠 Reminder: Mental health challenges are as real — and as serious — as physical ones. If you or someone you know needs help, please reach out to a mental health professional.

Mental Health Rewritten, created by the OWLS Education Company, is hosted, written and produced by Dominic Lawson

Executive Producer Kenda Lawson and Dr. Whitney Howzell

Cover art was created by Alexandria Eddings of Art Life Connections. 

1. Does Society Have a Sex Addiction Problem? Mayo Clinic Health System https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/does-society-have-a-sex-addiction-problem

2. Is Sex Addiction a Real Disorder? Majority of Americans Believe It Is Newsweek / YouGov Poll (2018) https://www.newsweek.com/sex-addiction-real-disorder-majority-americans-believe-it-1037560

3. Compulsive Sexual Behavior Disorder in ICD-11 World Health Organization / ICD-11 Browser https://icd.who.int/browse11/l-m/en#/http://id.who.int/icd/entity/1630268048

4. Why Sex Addiction Was Not Included in DSM-5 APA DSM-5 Task Force Discussion via Cleveland Clinic https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/21934-sex-addiction

5. AASECT Position on Sex Addiction American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists (2016) https://www.aasect.org/position-sex-addiction

6. Brain Activity in Sex Addiction Mirrors That of Drug Addiction Cambridge University Study (PLOS ONE, 2014) https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/07/140711095956.htm

7. Is Sexual Addiction the Real Deal? UCLA Brain Study – EEG Research on Hypersexuality (2013) https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/study-casts-doubt-on-sex-addiction-246011

8. Sex Addiction and Childhood Trauma in Men University of Georgia, College of Education (2024) https://coe.uga.edu/news/2024-04-study-links-childhood-trauma-emotional-abuse-to-sex-addiction-in-men

9. Infidelity Statistics (U.S. Marriages) Cooper Trachtenberg Law Group – Updated 2024 https://www.mcooperlaw.com/infidelity-stats-2024

10. Compulsive Sexual Behavior and Culture – A Clinical View APA PsycNet – Middle Eastern & Global Treatment Challenges https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2020-89404-008

11. Assessment and Treatment of CSBD: A Sexual Medicine Perspective Springer / Current Sexual Health Reports https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11930-019-00189-9

12. Sex Addiction in the UK: Rebecca Barker’s Story BBC News – Personal Narrative https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-43921760

13. Understanding Denial in Sexual Offending and Addictive Behavior Washington State Sex Offender Policy Board https://sgc.wa.gov/sites/default/files/public/SOPB/conference2018/Borg_presentation.pdf

14. CDC Historical Divorce Statistics – U.S. Marriage Trends Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/95facts/fs_439s.htm

 Referenced Articles & Research

•  Majority of Americans Believe Sex Addiction is Real – Newsweek https://www.newsweek.com/sex-addiction-real-disorder-majority-americans-believe-it-1037560

•  Does Society Have a Sex Addiction Problem? – Mayo Clinic Health System https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/does-society-have-a-sex-addiction-problem

•  UK Woman Shares Experience with Sex Addiction – BBC News https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-43921760

•  National Center for Health Statistics on Suicide Trends – CDC https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/95facts/fs_439s.htm

•  Study Links Childhood Trauma to Sex Addiction in Men – University of Georgia College of Education https://coe.uga.edu/news/2024-04-study-links-childhood-trauma-emotional-abuse-to-sex-addiction-in-men

•  Infidelity and Relationship Statistics (2024) – M. Cooper Law https://www.mcooperlaw.com/infidelity-stats-2024

•  Sex Offender Policy & Research: Compulsive Sexual Behavior – Washington State SOPB Conference https://sgc.wa.gov/sites/default/files/public/SOPB/conference2018/Borg_presentation.pdf

🎙️ Mental health conversations often involve a lot of terms, diagnoses, and classifications — but where do they come from, and why do they matter?

I'm Dominic Lawson, creator of Mental Health Rewritten. Throughout this show, we'll be referencing two major diagnostic tools that shape our understanding of mental and behavioral health:

🔹 DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition) Published by the American Psychiatric Association, it’s the primary diagnostic guide used by mental health professionals in the United States.

🔹 ICD-11 (International Classification of Diseases, 11th Revision) Developed by the World Health Organization, the ICD-11 classifies all medical conditions worldwide — including mental and behavioral disorders — and is used across many countries for diagnosis, treatment, and insurance coding.

On Mental Health Rewritten, we incorporate both tools to provide a well-rounded, accessible understanding of mental health. When a diagnosis is mentioned during an episode, you’ll hear a special cue — signaling a clear, listener-friendly breakdown of what the diagnosis means, how it's classified, and why it matters.

Because mental health isn't just about definitions — it’s about the people behind them. We’re here to demystify the language of mental health, humanize the diagnoses, and rewrite the narrative together.

🎧 Season 1 launches May 14, 2025.

Subscribe today and join us for real stories, real understanding, and real change.

🔗 Apple Podcasts, Spotify with exclusive content on Instagram (@mentalhealthrewrittenpodcast).

🧠 And always — take care of yourself. You matter.

🎙️ Welcome to Mental Health Rewritten — hosted by multi-award-winning podcaster and mental health advocate Dominic Lawson.

In a world flooded with conversations about mental health, not all information is helpful — and some can even cause harm. The most important battles often begin in silence, hidden by stigma and shame. But it’s time for that to change.

Mental Health Rewritten is a bold, narrative-driven podcast where we confront the difficult, the uncomfortable, and the necessary. Each season follows a 3-Track, 12-Episode format, taking listeners on an emotional and educational journey across intersecting topics:

🔸 Track 1: Sex From desire to dysfunction, we explore how behavior, identity, and wellbeing collide — and what happens when they spiral out of control.

🔸 Track 2: Suicide Breaking the silence on one of the greatest mental health crises of our time, we dive into despair, survival, and pathways toward hope.

🔸 Track 3: Race How does racial trauma and cultural identity shape our mental health? We uncover the scars — and the resilience — behind healing.

Rooted in clinical insights from the DSM-5 and ICD-11, and guided by authentic, lived experiences, Mental Health Rewritten is more than a podcast — it’s a movement to rewrite the way we understand mental wellness.

🎧 Season 1 premieres May 14, 2025. Subscribe now and join us as we break the silence, rewrite the narrative, and reshape how we support each other.

🔗 Apple Podcasts, Spotify with exclusive content on Instagram (@mentalhealthrewrittenpodcast).

🧠 Take care of yourself. You matter.