Are tanning booths addictive?

A recent study of college undergraduates and their tanning habits disclosed that 30% showed signs of addiction.

To me this study seems just plain silly. It seems as though they are using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) to label almost everyone as crazy and in need of psychiatric care.

Tanning addicts are like alcoholics, study says

Frequent visitors of tanning booths show behavior similar to that of substance abusers, a new study suggests. Girls proudly showing off their smooth, tanned skin are just addicts looking for their next “UV shot”.

The grim picture may be true at least for students in the Northeastern United States, where the survey of potential “tanoholics” was done, says the paper published in the April issue of Archives of Dermatology, a journal of the American Medical Association. Study author Catherine Mosher, of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, and her colleagues surveyed 421 undergraduates about their tanning habits.

The subjects were offered two questionnaires used for substance addiction screening, which had been reworded to use indoor tanning in place of booze, tobacco and marijuana. One is called CAGE and is meant to find alcohol addiction. The other questionnaire was derived from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM).


UV light is known to improve the mood by triggering the release of the chemical endorphin in humans. If further studies confirm that tanning is addictive, counseling may be required for the abuser wishing to get off the hook, just like drug addicts and alcoholics seek professional help.

Read more: RT

That's nice, now my tax dollars will go to help some poor valley girl shake off her tanning addiction.

That is a poor use of taxdollars.

Maybe some of us should volunteer for this difficult duty.

BTW, psychiatry is a study of the odd BY the odd. You can use the DSM to certify about anyone with at least a neurosis-level mental pathology. Sometimes even the ones who need it. The problem is, they won't take their meds routinely anyway. Psychs are well known to be poorly compliant.!

I'd be interested in seeing the results, however, like the other know carcinogen smoking, it would likely be a protected right of users. Perhaps the knowledge itself would be enough to give pause to users?

It's funny a few of you mention wasting tax dollars on a ridiculous program like this, it's somewhat ironic. I'm, by no means, a regular tanner, but I go occasionally. The health care bill actually imposed a 10% tax increase on tanning. So if anything, tanners will be paying for your programs.

money.cnn.com...

[edit on 4.21.2010 by Avarus]