Compulsive Sexual Behavior

DisclaimerThis page is not here to be used as a self-diagnosis, self-identification, or promotion - it's simply here to be informational. Whether or not one self-diagnoses, self-identifies, and/or seeks a professional diagnosis is up to them.

**Compulsive Sexual Behavior**, also called **Hypersexuality**, **Hypersexuality Disorder** or **Sexual Addiction**, is an excessive preoccupation with sexual fantasies, urges or behaviors that are difficult to control, causes distress, or negatively affects the individual's health, job, relationships or other parts of their life.

There is debate and controversy about the diagnosis of hypersexuality disorder.

## Signs & Symptoms

Although there's no established criteria for hypersexuality, traits that are commonly seen in a hypersexual individual or sexual addict include:

* Obsession with sex.
* Masturbating often, once to several times daily.
* Frequent viewing pornography.
* Spending an excessive amount of time planning sexual activity.
* Frequently using sexual services.
* Behavior escalates to reckless sexual activity.
* Engaging in sexual behaviors that go against ones personal values.
* Frequently engaging in activities associated with paraphilic disorders.
* Can't stop ones sexual behavior despite negative consequences in finances, relationships, health or emotions.

Complications of sexual addiction include:

* Lack of healthy relationships with sexual partners or family.
* Downward work performance of career loss from an inability to focus.
* Money problems stemming from paying for sexual activities.
* Health consequences, including pregnancy and STIs, such as HIV, hepatitis B and C, syphilis or gonorrhea.
* Use of recreational drugs or drinking an excessive amount of alcohol.
* Development of other mental health conditions, such as anxiety, depression or thoughts of suicide.
* Potential jail or prison time for sexual offenses.
* Emotional costs including guilty, shame or hopelessness.

Although the DSM-5 does not include hypersexuality, considering it not disordered enough to warrant pathological analysis, features for diagnosis proposed by the DSM include:

* Over a period of at least six months, recurrent and intense sexual fantasies, sexual urges and sexual behavior in association with four or more of the following:
	+ Excessive time is taken up by sexual fantasies and urges, or by planning for and engaging in sexual behavior.
	+ Repetitive engaging in sexual fantasies, urges and behavior in response to mood states such as anxiety, depression, boredom or irritability.
	+ Repetitively engaging in sexual fantasies, urges and behavior in response to stressful life events.
	+ Repetitive but unsuccessful efforts to control or significantly reduce these sexual fantasies, urges and behavior.
	+ Repetitively engaging in sexual behavior while disregarding the risk for physical or emotional harm to self or others.
* There is significant personal distress or impairment in important areas of functioning. These sexual fantasies are not due to the effects of substances such as drugs or medications, any medical condition or manic episodes.
* The individual is at least 18 years old.

## Causes

The causes of hypersexuality disorder are not well understood. However, sex addiction and hypersexuality may sometimes be caused by traumatic experiences, distress, or by other mental conditions, such as bipolar disorder. High-risk sexual behavior may also be associated with family problems and social stress.

## References

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/compulsive-sexual-behavior/symptoms-causes/syc-20360434

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/22690-sex-addiction-hypersexuality-and-compulsive-sexual-behavior

https://patient.info/mental-health/sex-addiction-including-hypersexuality