Hypersexual Disorders and the Brain
Alcohol can be an ongoing addiction for one individual, yet it may hold no attraction at all for another. The same can be said for any addiction, including one that involves sex. Sexual compulsivity or Hypersexual Disorders can wreak just as much havoc on a life as an addiction to drugs, gambling or alcohol. The challenge in an addiction that involves sex is that it can be embarrassing for the individual and often misunderstood by those around him.
Antidepressants and psychotropic medications have proven to be effective in helping to control sexual compulsivity, which suggests that some sort of biochemical abnormality or other changes within the brain exist. Studies into this area suggest that a common pathway within the survival and reward system of the brain is shared by food, drugs of abuse and sexual interests. This is the same pathway that provides access to the part of the brain that is responsible for higher thinking, rational thought and even judgment.
For this reason, the individual dealing with sexual compulsivity will experience the same thoughts of rationalization as the individual struggling with an addiction to drugs or alcohol. In other words, the brain will make the individual feel good about their choice by telling him or her that illicit sex is good, just like water is good when thirsty.
These changes within the brain translate into a sex addict’s preoccupation with sex to the exclusion of other interests. The changes can also lead to compulsive behavior, despite known negative consequences and failed attempts to stop or at least limit sexual behavior. This biochemical reaction helps to explain how sex and drugs can so easily distract the individual who is otherwise competent, intelligent and goal-oriented.
The brain that is addicted to a specific reward will encourage the body to engage in self-destructive behavior. This is accomplished through the production of intense biochemical rewards. Individuals with an addiction to sex receive a significant sense of euphoria that tends to go beyond the stages reported by the average individual.
The sex addict is not seeking intimacy, but instead seeks pleasure, to avoid unpleasant feelings or outside stressors. This process is much like that of the alcoholic where any perceived reward gained from the experience soon turns into guilt, remorse and even hollow promises of change. Yet it is possible the addiction is hereditary. In one study, 80 percent of recovering sex addicts indicated some type of addiction dominated the family origins.
Causes of sexual compulsivity often include a history of sexual abuse in childhood, although the two are not mutually exclusive. Much like the drug or alcohol addict, the sex addict may have simply enjoyed the euphoria of a sexual encounter to the point that an addiction began. It is the ensuing consequences, however, that can put that life on a dangerous path.