What is sexual addiction?

Sexual addiction is an intense focus on sexual fantasies, urges or activities that can’t be controlled and cause distress or harm your health, relationships, career or other aspects of your life. Sexual addiction is the most commonly used lay term. You may hear healthcare professionals call this compulsive sexual behavior, problematic sexual behavior, hypersexuality, hypersexuality disorder, sexual compulsivity or sexual impulsivity.

Although sex addiction involves activities that can be common to a sex life — such as masturbation, pornography, phone sex, cybersex, multiple partners and more — it’s when your sexual thoughts and activities consume your life that you may be considered to have a sexual addiction.

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 feeling or 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.

How common is sexual addiction and who is most affected?

Hypersexuality appears to affect about 3% to 10% of the general U.S. population. It’s more common in men than women. For every two to five males with hypersexuality, one woman is affected. Sexual addiction begins, on average, at 18 years of age. Most individuals don’t reach out for professional help until age 37.

Many individuals (88%) have a history of other mental health conditions, too, including:

• Mood disorders, including bipolar disorder.
• Anxiety disorders.
• History of suicide attempts.
• Personality disorders.
• Other addictive disorders.
• Impulse control disorders.
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
• Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

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.

• Symptoms and Causes

  What are the signs and symptoms of sexual addiction or 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.

  What are the complications of having a sexual addition or hypersexuality?

  Complications of sexual addiction include:

  • Lack of a normal, healthy relationship with your sexual partner and your family.
  • Downward work performance and career loss from an inability to focus on work or watching pornography at work.
  • Money problems stemming from paying for sexual activities.
  • Health consequences, including pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), such as HIV, hepatitis B and C, syphilis or gonorrhea.
  • Use of recreational drugs or drinking an excessive amount of alcohol.
  • Development of mental health conditions, such as stress and anxiety, depression or thoughts of suicide.
  • Potential jail or prison time for sexual offenses.
  • Emotional costs including guilt, shame and hopelessness.