Most people have probably heard of the “sex addiction” state. However, did you know that there is debate in the scientific community about whether this is an actual violation, or whether it even refers to sex?
Roy Reid, a research psychologist, explains that in these cases sex is not the cause, just as eating disorders are not about food and gambling is not about money.
In this sense, sex addicts are not just people who crave a lot of sex. Rather, they suffer from more significant problems such as stress, anxiety, depression, and shame. Any of these disorders can lead to risky sexual behavior.
What is sex addiction?
Many specialists prefer to use the term “hypersexual disorder”. It is characterized by obsessive sexual thoughts and actions and often harms both the patients themselves and their families. As an example, experts cite men who spend half their monthly income on companions.
Such behavior significantly threatens their personal, social and professional life, and the threat of contracting HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases endangers their health.
They are obsessed with the thought of sex, it does not leave them – this can lead to a feeling of loneliness and isolation, and severe pain and shame appear.
Very often, the onset of a crisis “convinces” drug addicts to seek help, experts explain. They are caught by their partner, fired from their jobs, or detained for having sex with a prostitute. For some, such crises provide relief from the stress of their behavior as well as the constant fear of exposure.
Addiction or not…?
There is still no scale to measure how many people are affected by a hack. Some studies in this area claim that it is relatively more common among men, more specifically among homosexual men.
Its causes also remain unclear, as does its similarity to other addictions. Scientists don’t know if the brains of people with hypersexual disorder work in the same way as those of people with substance addiction or pathological gambling.
The behavior of those affected may be similar to that of people suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder. This is likely due to abnormal levels of dopamine or serotonin in the brain. Problems with attention, impulse control, and emotion regulation can also play a role—models and theories are very…
Treatment for hypersexual disorder
There are not many studies on effective methods of dealing with this disease. Experts advise drug addicts to face the thoughts that push them to risky behavior and to challenge themselves. If the thought “says” that the desire for sex cannot be controlled, let’s resist it. The patient should try to look more realistic because nothing will happen if he does not get the desired sex.
Support and understanding from other victims are also very important in these cases, so it is recommended to seek contact. In some cases, drugs prescribed for obsessive-compulsive disorder or impulse control disorders can be used to curb the “craving” of addicts for sex.
