Compulsive sexual behavior is sometimes called hypersexuality or sexual addiction. It's an intense focus on sexual fantasies, urges or behaviors that can't be controlled. This causes distress and problems for your health, job, relationships or other parts of your life.
Compulsive sexual behavior may involve different kinds of commonly enjoyable sexual experiences. Examples include masturbation, sexual arousal by using a computer to communicate, multiple sexual partners, use of pornography or paying for sex. But when these sexual behaviors become a major, constant focus in your life, are difficult to control, cause problems in your life, or are harmful to you or others, that's likely compulsive sexual behavior.
No matter what it's called or the exact nature of the behavior, untreated compulsive sexual behavior can damage your self-esteem, relationships, career, health and other people. But with treatment and self-help, you can learn to manage compulsive sexual behavior.
Is a sex addiction similar to other addictions?
Yes. The "addiction feeling" is what makes it similar. The craving for sex is similar to cravings felt for alcohol or drugs by those who have addictions to these substances. It's an overwhelming compulsion or temptation that's so strong you feel that you have to have it. It's an out-of-control feeling, never feeling satisfied, having a constant battle to take control of something that's on autopilot. You return to the behavior — over and over again — despite the negative consequences.
Is sex addiction or hypersexuality considered a mental health disorder?
Debate is ongoing if hypersexuality can be classified as a mental health disorder. The American Psychiatric Association rejected a proposal to include hypersexual disorder as a condition in DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition), their manual for assessing and diagnosing mental health conditions. Their reason was lack of evidence and the potential consequences of calling excessive sexual activity a "pathology" (calling it a disease or disorder).
What does a sexual addict think or feel about their sexual obsession?
A sex addict may feel:
- Guilt, shame or remorse.
- Hopelessness, powerless over the addictive behavior.
- Depressed, lonely.
- Fearful, anxious.
- Suicidal.
What are the signs and symptoms of Hypersexuality?
Although there's no established criteria for hypersexuality, traits that are commonly seen in a hypersexual person or sexual addict include:
- You're obsessed with sex. You spend a lot of time fantasizing about your sexual urges and engaging in sexual behavior.
- You masturbate often (once to several times daily).
- You frequently view pornography. Sources include videos, adult magazines, the internet (websites, webcams). You often masturbate while viewing pornography.
- You spend an excessive amount of time planning sexual activity. You spend a lot of time figuring out where and how you'll get your next sexual "high."
- You frequently use sexual services. This is a step up, in that your activities now involve human interaction. Behaviors could include phone sex, connections made through internet chat rooms, paying for sexual encounters, visits to strip clubs, having multiple partners or frequent one-night stands.
- Your behavior escalates to reckless sexual activity. You may add substance abuse to your sexual activity or add sexual aggression or dangerous sexual activity (such as autoerotic asphyxiation) to your behaviors.
|- You engage in sexual behaviors that go against your personal values, religious beliefs or what society deems appropriate.
- You frequently engage in paraphilia. These are sexual behaviors that involve another person's psychological distress, injury or death. Examples include exhibitionism (exposing genitals to strangers), voyeurism (watching or engaging in sexual activities with others), sadomasochism (sexual pleasure from inflicting pain or humiliation on others) and pedophilia (sexual feelings toward children).
- You can't stop your sexual behavior despite negative consequences to your finances, relationships, health or emotions.
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