Stereotypes and Media Reports May Keep Women with Sexual Addictions from Seeking Help
In a figure that’s surprising to many, one of the nation’s leading experts on sexual addiction – Robert Weiss, director of the Sexual Recovery Institute in Los Angeles – said up to 12 percent of individuals who need help working through sexual addiction are women. However, many more are believed to have the complex and destructive conditions, but are hesitant to look for professional help.
Weiss believes women may not address their problems with sexual addiction because media stories indicate it is a male problem, showing men engaging in behaviors like obsessive sexting and online pornography. Additionally, women may be more likely than men to respond to stress or negative emotions with addictive behaviors such as overeating, spending too much or abusing drugs or alcohol – but few research studies have explored the connection between women and sexual addiction.
Typical research reports and stories about sexual addiction link the behavior to males and may feed into stereotypes about female addictions to sexual activities, such as a misconception that women may develop intimacy addictions but not sexual addictions. In reality, many people with sexual addictions have core problems with forming intimate, personal relationships, regardless of their gender.
When women with sexual addictions begin to look for professional treatment, they may conceal the true nature of the problem or its severity because they carry strong feelings of guilt or shame and feel alone in their addiction. As a result, many females with sexual addictions begin receiving treatment for the condition on an indirect path, often seeking professional help first for other addictions or emotional problems.
Sexual addiction is part of a growing body of research about compulsive sexual behaviors, sometimes referred to alongside terms like hypersexuality or sexual compulsivity. Symptoms can include:
- Obsessive thoughts about sex, which are often unwanted
- An inability to stop viewing online pornography, even when the consequences are known
- Having sex with multiple partners
- Inability to control the behaviors even when they know the results will be destructive to their finances, careers and home lives
For women, these consequences can become especially severe, including unplanned pregnancy or diagnosis with an STD. For many, the stereotypes, myths and feelings of shame associated with women and sexual addiction may heighten these consequences as they avoid professional treatment.
Similar to substance addictions, treatment for sexual addictions across genders can include a combination of professional counseling, inpatient or outpatient treatments, and group-based therapy to develop new coping mechanisms when the addiction triggers strike. Further research about the reasons women develop sexual addictions and the most effective treatment strategies are called for by many experts.