Last update: 15 September, 2022
Sex addiction, or satyriasis, in psychology it is considered a personality disorder, that is a pathology.
Every addiction is harmful, but some are particularly more ingrained than others. If we can understand that gambling addicts and alcoholics should avoid gambling and alcohol, we could also understand that those who are addicted to sex or compulsive food consumers (bulimics) absolutely cannot eliminate such addiction, since food and sex, to a reasonable extent, are necessary.
Sex addiction according to the DSM-5
The DSM-5 (Manual of Mental Disorders) defines sex addiction as a hypersexuality disorder. An obsessive compulsive disorder that leads the sufferer to the absolute inability to voluntarily control their thoughts. It would be necessary to add that, according to psychiatric experts, all those obsessive acts that hinder our ability to lead a regular life, thus interfering in our social and work environment, can clearly be considered pathological disorders.
The known statistical data (studies by sexologists) show a rather widespread addiction: One and a half million people in Spain, 19 million in the United States and 3 million in Argentina, to name a few. It must be understood, however, that a person can maintain a very active sex life throughout his life, without being considered addicted to sex.
The employee is not satisfied with himself, he has no control over the actions he takes and also the fact that his behavior thus obliges him to suffer from a negative state of mind. As in any addiction, over time those affected will need more and better stimuli to meet their needs. That pleasure, only momentary, will be reduced in a short time to a vicious, self-destructive circle, a continuous search for new objectives that satisfy that restlessness. Compulsive use of sex can indicate the need to fill one's loneliness or existential void with external agents that increase self-esteem.
Sex addiction usually involves extensive and compulsive reliance on pornography, masturbation, and multiple dating or sexual intercourse during the same night (with strangers or through prostitution). If such a form of interpreting sex cancels or interferes with your daily activities, you can consider yourself addicted to sex. As with any addiction, the essential step to get out of it is to accept the problem as a real fact that manipulates and affects your daily activity. The best expectations for finding a solution are to seek professional help and contact centers that specialize in sexual matters.
