How do you Know When you’re a Sex Addict?
2014-08-11
Our society often tells us men want it all the time. But where do you draw the line between a healthy sex drive and obsession? Up to one in 25 men have what is called hypersexuality, or an intense sex drive. Though it didn’t make it in the latest tome of psychological disorders the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) V, it in fact does exist and the newest research claims that it should be viewed as a psychological disorder. A new British study found that when sex addicts watch porn under brain scans, their brains show similar patterns to drug addicts who need their substance, regardless of when it is pleasurable or not. As time goes on, an addict’s brain changes, reshaping the pleasure pathways of the brain and making the addict more driven to finding the object of their addiction, which is why they need the substance or stimulus so badly. But a 2013 UCLA study found that some people are more easily aroused than others. In this study those who self-identified as sex addicts showed a stronger response to sexual images than what they had themselves reported. Researcher in UCLA’s department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences and the study’s author Nicole Prause, Ph.D said, “People with a high sexual desire probably have a predisposition to seek out sex because it feels better to them neurologically.”
Even if you feel like you can never get enough, you don’t necessarily have hypersexuality. So how do you know when you’re a sex addict or just a normal guy? If you feel like your sex drive affects those around you negatively or if you are unable to control your sexual desire than you may have this condition.When you can’t draw the line and it starts to affect your job, your relationships, your family or your life in an adverse way, it is time to seek help. Prause says, “Even statistically non-normal behaviors, like masturbating three times a day, may not cause distress or problems in a person’s life.” A problem occurs then when it affects you or those around you negatively. That’s when it’s time to seek out a therapist or a sex therapist. Of course there isn’t exactly a specific diagnosis one can use to determine hypersexuality. Nor is there a specific cure for this condition. But therapy can overcome any behavioral issue so it’s the best way to go. What’s more, if left untreated the problem can and does get worse. A licensed therapist who specializes in sexual disorders should be sought out for hypersexuality. Otherwise, if you just have a strong libido, chalk it up to a superior male virility.
