Sex Addiction: Myths, Realities, and Treatment Options

In sex addiction, a person becomes obsessed with sex and has a strong desire to have sex. In such a situation, the person's thinking gets limited to sexual activities, due to which his other activities start getting affected. If the intense sexual desires are not controlled, the person starts facing problems in social activities as well. People who have a normal sex life can also have such problems. Such people feel aroused by sexual activities and fantasies, but they are afraid to accept this. Apart from this, in many cases, the person may have paraphilic disorder (Paraphillic disorder: disorder related to intense desire for sex) such as pedophilia (Pedophillia: sexual feelings towards children).

In paraphilic disorder, the person gets sexual arousal, but it is not accepted by most people. In pedophilia also, people behave in the same way. Due to this, you may face many problems and difficulties in doing tasks. At present, sex addiction is not considered a completely medical condition, but sex addiction can affect your family, relationships and life. More research is needed to determine whether sex addiction is a disorder or not.

The problem was
Until recently, WHO's International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Problems (ICD 10) and the American Psychiatric Association (APA) did not consider compulsive sexual behavior as a recognizable disorder. This was because different people have different sex drives.

The situation is going to change
When the 11th edition of the ICD comes into existence in 2022, sex addiction will be defined in it as, "In compulsive sexual behavior, the person will not be able to stop the desire to have sex and this behavior can last for a long period (six months or more). This will prove to be harmful in his personal, social, family, educational, work and other important matters." ICD 11 was presented before the World Health Assembly in May 2019. It states that in this condition the person does not get satisfaction even after having sex.

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There is no scientific reason available, but sex addiction can be caused by many mental conditions. Depression, loneliness, sadness or happiness can also make you a victim of compulsive sexual behavior. The biggest problem in this is that you can become a victim of diseases caused by sexual relations. The feeling of guilt or shame associated with sex addiction can increase anxiety and depression. Due to sex addiction, your relationship with your loved ones can become strained and sometimes even break. This can cause you an emotional shock.

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Psychiatrically, sex addiction is similar to smoking and alcohol addiction, in which a particular part of the brain works. People with sex addiction also become addicted to many other types of sexual activities. It is difficult to detect this condition. In this, the person starts liking sexual activity more than getting sexual satisfaction. The person's attention becomes focused on the activity instead of satisfaction. The activities involved in sex addiction are described below-

• Masturbation addiction.
• Having more than one sex partner or sexual relationship without any emotional attachment.
• Reading pornography.
• Watching pornograph becomes a compulsion.
• Having unsafe sex.
• Going to sex workers (sex worker: prostitute) and doing prostitution.
• Friends, keeping work aside and only indulging in cyber sex.
• Exhibitionism, this is a mental disorder, in which a person has an addiction to showing his genitals to a stranger.
• Voyeurism, in this the person watches other people having sex to get sexual pleasure.

It becomes difficult for a sex addict to control sexual urge, desires. However, he finds it difficult to form an emotional relationship with a sexual partner. Because of this, many times the sex addict feels criminal or ashamed after sexual activities.

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Behavior During Sex Addiction-

• Not respecting the wishes of the partner involved in sexual activity.
• Sex does not provide emotional satisfaction to the person. 
• Habit of attracting people towards yourself and romancing with new people.
• Feeling embarrassed. 
• Uncontrolled excitement despite knowing the financial, medical and social ill effects of this condition.
• Failure to stop the sequence of intense desire to have sex.
• Involving in sexual activities for a longer time than desired.
• Continuously indulging in sexual activities. Indulging in it even after knowing and suffering its ill effects. 
• Being away from social, recreational activities and other work due to sex addiction.
• Taking risks, which can destroy your personal and professional life. Only for more pleasure.
• Sex becomes the focal point of a person's life and all other activities and thoughts take a backseat.
• A person with sex addiction disorder may become anxious, restless and even violent if he does not engage in sexual activity.

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The exact cause of sex addiction is not known, but it can include the following-

Imbalance In The Natural Chemicals Of The Brain
Some chemicals in the brain such as serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine work to control your mood. Their high level is related to sex addiction.

Changes In The Neural Pathways Of The Brain
Sex addiction can start due to changes in the nervous system of the brain over time. In this, the central part that nourishes the brain is mainly affected. Like other addictions (bad addiction), in sex addiction too, the person has a desire to do more sexual activities to get satisfaction or relief over time.

Conditions Affecting Your Brain
Some diseases like epilepsy and dementia can damage a particular part of the brain, which increases the risk of sex addiction. Apart from this, some dopamine drugs used in the treatment of Parkinson's disease can also cause sex addiction.

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When a person rationalizes sex addiction and justifies his behavior and thoughts, then there may be difficulties in treating it. Many people do not consider sex addiction a problem. Current treatment options aim to reduce excessive sexual excitement and promote healthy relationships. The treatment of sex addiction is explained in detail below.

• Residential treatment program – In a residential treatment program, many of the person's bad habits (addiction) related disorders are removed. During this time, the person remains under the care of special doctors in the treatment center. 
• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) - Cognitive behavioral therapy uses a variety of techniques to change a person's habits. With the help of CBT, a person can be saved from the harmful effects of sex addiction. 
• Use of medicines - Certain types of medicines are used to reduce sexual excitement.
• Group therapy -  Sex Addicts Anonymous has a Delhi chapter and Sexaholics Anonymous is also working in many metros and Northeast India. Here the group members meet and share problems and encourage each other to overcome this situation and stop such behavior.

While treating sex addiction, a person needs the support of family and friends.

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Due to the lack of knowledge of the causes of sex addiction, it cannot be said clearly how to prevent it, but some things can help in reducing this type of behavior.

• Get rid of other problems occurring with sex addiction soon - By identifying this problem and starting treatment of its symptoms early, sex addiction can be avoided. By treating the symptoms of sex addiction in time, its severity can be reduced. Along with this, embarrassment and difficulties in relationships can also be overcome.
• Start treatment of mental disorders soon - Anxiety and depression can cause a serious condition of sex addiction.
• Identify and get rid of alcohol and drug addiction - Due to alcohol and drug addiction, you do not have control over other tasks and due to sadness you are unable to take the right decision. Because of this, you move towards the wrong kind of sexual activities. 
• Do not ignore risky situations - In sex addiction, you often put your partner and yourself in a risky situation, whereas during this time you should avoid risky situations.

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There is currently a debate in the psychological community about defining sex addiction, as it is very difficult to determine the problem of sexual activities. Psychiatric health care officials have not yet put compulsive sexual behavior in any category, as the implementation of ICD 11 is still far away. However, when sexual desires start affecting a person's relationships, life and family, they should immediately seek medical help.

Many doctors use the book of mental disorders (DSM-5) published by the American Psychiatric Association to test for mental health problems. Sex addiction does not fall into the diagnostic category in this book, so it is tested as a subcategory of any other mental health condition, such as impulse control disorder or behavioral addiction. Some doctors consider sex addiction to be the negative consequences of taking sexual activities to extreme levels. However, more research is being done to understand these negative effects.

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Sex addiction, also known as sexual addiction, is a mental health problem in which a person loses control over their sexual behavior and this behavior has a negative impact on other aspects of their life. This addiction may compel a person to think about sex repeatedly, watch pornography on the Internet, or engage in other unhealthy sexual activities. This addiction can cause problems in a person's personal, social, and professional life. People suffering from it may often feel shame, guilt, and loneliness. Treatment may include the help of psychotherapy, counseling, and support groups. With the help of a mental health professional, it is possible to recover from this addiction, allowing the person to live a healthy and balanced life.