How to Recognize Sex Addiction

Sex addiction is a difficult disease to identify. Many sex addicts are ashamed, feel guilty or are embarrassed by their disorder. As a result, they don't discuss it with others and often go to great lengths to hide it. It is important for loved ones in the addict's life to know how to recognize the addiction in order to help those who may be suffering in silence. Recognizing this problem in yourself, a friend or a loved one is an important first step.

Many people who suffer from sex addiction struggle in silence, because they don't talk about their addiction out of shame, guilt or embarrassment. Still others don't realize they are suffering from an addiction because it can be difficult to recognize. The Society for the Advancement of Sexual Health defines sex addiction as "a persistent and escalating pattern or patterns of sexual behaviors acted out despite increasingly negative consequences to self or others." Many addicts think they just have a problem with some sexual behavior or another. They don't realize it's an addiction.

Even though this problem doesn't have an official diagnosis, there is a set of basic criteria put together by clinicians and researchers to identify sex addiction. These criteria are based on chemical dependency literature. In addition to that, the American Psychiatric Association has released a preliminary definition for what they formally call Hypersexual Disorder.

Healthy adults normally have a strong desire for sex and sexual activities. However, the key factors that separate those normal desires from addiction are obsession, compulsion and repetition which result in negative consequences. In spite of the lack of an official diagnosis, sex addiction can be successfully recognized after a careful evaluation of the different criteria used by clinicians and researchers.

There are tests available online to determine if you have a sex addiction

By applying the key characteristics of chemical addictions, the American Psychiatric Association has been able to put together a set of symptoms that can be helpful in sex parkeerplaatsen sex addiction or Hypersexual Disorder. They caution that these symptoms need to occur over a period of at least six months, with recurrent and intense sexual fantasies, urges, and planning or engaging in sexual behavior.

Spending excessive amounts of time focusing on sexual fantasies, urges, and planning for or engaging in sexual behavior is one sign of addiction. The time may be consumed focusing on masturbation, pornography, sexual behavior with consenting adults, cybersex, phone sex, frequenting strip clubs or engaging in or patronizing prostitutes. Many adults think about or engage in many of these activities. The defining difference between a healthy adult and one struggling with sex addiction is the excessive amount of time the addict spends in thinking or performing those activities.

Repeatedly engaging in sexual fantasies, urges or activities as a result of mood changes, such as anxiety, depression, boredom or irritability, is another symptom of sex addiction. In most cases, healthy adults respond to sexual desires based on their moods. However, in the case of the addict, the sexual fantasies, urges and actions are used to alter moods, much like a drug addict uses a chemical substance to achieve an altered mood.

In addition to mood responses, a response to high stress levels or situations can be another symptom of this addiction. While many healthy adults might use sex as a way to relieve a little stress in their lives, an addict is repeatedly and uncontrollably compelled to engage in these activities as a response to the stress.