Sex Addiction is a Complex, Progressive Addiction Referred to by Many Names

Though it goes by many names and is frequently associated with celebrity stories, sexual addiction is real, it has distinct symptoms, and it affects an estimated three to five percent of the U.S. adult population.

Recent articles, such as a post from Generally Thinking, are addressing the compulsive and controlling nature of sexual addiction, as well as the ways the addiction destroys lives. While some people may believe their frequent thoughts about sex constitute an addiction, sexual addiction carries marked symptoms:

• Inability to resist thoughts or compulsive urges toward sex, even when they are unwanted
• Loss of ability to perform at work or in the home due to continuing, obsessive thoughts about sex
• Disconnecting from work, family and other relationships to pursue sexual behavior
• Increasing need for more intense, more frequent or more bizarre sexual experiences to achieve a "high"
• Inability to control looking at sexual materials in places like work, or inability to stop engaging in sexual behaviors in inappropriate settings even when consequences are known

Sexual addiction can be referred to as sexual compulsivity, hypersexuality or other terms, but treatment and recovery requires professional help – similar to other addictions to drugs or alcohol.

In contradiction to stereotypes, many people with sexual addiction say the behaviors are no longer pleasurable, but instead are associated with strong feelings of guilt and shame afterward. Recent research is also looking at how the behavior may start out as an inability to control a sexual impulse for many people, but then as the addiction progresses, the behavior meets criteria for being classified as addictive.

Although the term sexual addiction is not included in discussions surrounding the forthcoming Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the term "hypersexuality" is in discussion for inclusion. Growing bodies of research are comparing the ways patients’ brains with sexual addiction respond to other addictions, such as drug or alcohol behavior, to further understand how the complex addiction is connected to the brain’s reward system.