Sexual addiction: definitions, prevalence, and treatment approaches

Sexual Addiction

The idea of sexual addiction has solicited a variety of definitions that are dependant upon the stand the individual is taking. Be it criminology perspective, social science perspective, psychiatric perspective and many more. However, it is worth noting that the idea will boil down to the same effect and all the definitions have a focal point.

According to Herkov, M., (2011), sexual addiction can be described as "progressive intimacy disorder characterized by compulsive sexual thoughts. The other authority in sexual behavior Medical News Today, (2011), has come to define sexual addiction as the situation in which people or an individual cannot manage his sexual behavior.

The tendency of sexual addiction has also been referred to in the various fields using the terms hypersexuality, compulsive sexual behavior, sexual dependency, satyriasis (males), nymphomania (for females) and also sexual compulsivity among many other definitions that keep surfacing.

This behavior is considered one of the Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and like any other addiction, can have a negative effect on the individual or the family members. With time the addict will be forced to increase the behavior in order to satisfy the urge.

Causes of sexual addiction

This behavior is usually not caused by a singe cause but has varying causes. One major one is the early exposure to pornography that makes the young kids escape into the world of fantasy filled with pornography and consequently masturbation since they cannot stand being rejected by girls out there (All about Life Challenges, 2011).

The other known cause is a situation where the addict may have undergone a traumatic childhood for instance physical or sexual abuse or both, emotional trauma like loss of parents, abandonment among many other things. This can make the individual lose sense of control or blur of excesses where they will do all things to the extremes.

Symptoms/behaviors of an addict

There are several behaviors that are displayed by the addicts; they are as follows as per Medicine Net (2011).

The addict will be over-obsessed with sexual thoughts which hamper their ability to execute their responsibilities properly, abort relationships, and cannot go about their activities normally.

The individual may get into consistent use of hardcore pornography and eventually may end up acting or getting involved in production of pornography. At this point, he ceases to see the wife or husband as a partner worth of respect but a tool of sexual gratification.

The person will also have a tendency of running multiple affairs and for married people will have extra-marital affairs. This they will do in a bid to satisfy their sexual drives but never get the solution, hence heighten the activities, just like drug addiction. These affairs may be with anonymous people most being one-night stands.

The addict will also engage in several cases of unsafe sex since in their mind, the addiction and urge for sex comes first and safety is not a priority.

They also form tendencies of phone, computer or cyber sex. At other times they will engage in prostitution or engage the service of prostitutes for men.

The individuals will as well engage in exhibitionism. These are acts of open display or show of private parts especially the genitalia either for casual money or just for the joy of it.

The persons will also for a tendency of dating that eventually becomes obsessive and done through personal advertisement.

Some will engage in acts of voyeurism, which basically means stalking or watching others without the knowledge or in compromising positions/situations without their permission e.g. while swimming naked or in the shower room.

The addicts may to the extent of engaging in sexual harassment or even molestation on kids or even the adults and even kill for sexual urge satisfaction if a chance presents itself. To the extremes a few have been found to molest corpses.

The addict on the extreme cases may display sexual rage disorder which may manifest itself in distress, anxiety, restlessness and may even get violent is they are unable to obtain sexual satisfaction as an addiction. If they get to obtain the sex, then they may become very violent in the sexual activity (Medical News Today).