Addiction as a form of perversion

Psychoanalytic treatment of addiction is often ineffective because therapists fail to recognize addiction as a discrete disorder. The author reviews psychoanalytic theories of addiction and presents an alternative concept comprising biological, behavioral, and psychological characteristics. She compares the structural similarities between addiction and perversion and describes the use of the addictive substance as a fetish object. Finally, she discusses the implications of psychoanalytically oriented treatment and advocates a multimodal treatment approach.