Understanding Sex Addiction As A Disorder: Causes, Effects, And Treatment

IF YOUR sex life gets you into trouble does that make you a sex addict, or just someone who has made some bad choices? The debate over sex addiction has taken a twist, as guidelines are being drawn up that may recognise sexual compulsivity as a mental disorder.

Sex addiction usually hits the headlines when someone famous gets caught behaving badly and lays the blame on their "disorder". In recent months, celebrities such as Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey have reportedly sought treatment for it.

But many health professionals say sex addiction isn't a real illness. Even in the US, where the idea is most popular, this diagnosis doesn't feature in the official textbook of psychiatric illnesses, called the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
Soon those who support the idea of sex addiction could get some support from an alternative set of diagnostic guidelines, from the World Health Organization.

The WHO has put out for consultation an updated version of its International Classification of Diseases. The document was originally going to include sex addiction, but after debate this was softened to "compulsive sexual behaviour", defined as a persistent pattern of failure to control intense sexual impulses. But it is still more controversial than the old category of "excessive sexual drive", which was more neutral about possible causes.

Sceptics say the idea of addiction or compulsive behaviour around sex is just a way for people to duck responsibility for
misbehaviour.

Another problem with the concept is that there is no evidence-based "treatment" available at sex addiction clinics. They usually provide group therapy along the lines of 12-step programmes for alcohol addiction. But this has not been shown to work for people who think they are addicted to sex. Clare Wilson 

The pathway of addiction and their treatments

The pathway of addiction and their treatments are patented with vital communal and scientific progress since few years. A few years before, only, the addiction was taken as the failure of the morals and people who were suffering were treated very badly and with huge chauvinism and fear. There is only one thing which remains as a proof is that a vital transformation is tough to come by and it is always met with the struggle. It also considers firmness & sight of amalgamation of forces of the human beings to bring the change (McPherson, 2013). From the investigation it can be said that sex addiction is not considered as disease yet it can be considered as the addiction and the disorder.

The addiction of sex could be referred to the individual who gets involved in the sexual action for coping up with the stress which is not at all bearable. In addition to that the occurrence of this prototype keeps on rising as the time passes (Skinner, 2014). The patients in this type of addiction according to the research are males mostly as compared to women. These people are not able to avoid themselves from having the sexual thoughts and activities related to the same for longer time. Such activities are not just counterproductive but also, they are not rewarding. The patients involve in the sex addiction and then face issues in managing the particular close relationships. These people fail to achieve the bonding which is close due to the low quality of relations and their participation becomes shallow after time and also insufficient. The relation is featured by 4 expediency and joint operation that are the major elements of the addictive association. The drugs and the alcohol disguise these lacks. Soon after, the intimate requirements are substituted by the coercions of sexual activities. It leads to the often shifting of partners and irresponsible sex. An individual involves himself in the activities like rape, adultery, compulsive telephonic sex, pornography etc. Out of all the activities cybersex is one of the recent maximization in sex addiction. Excessive usage of the aphrodisiacs and recreational drugs are very common when it comes to sex addicts. There are times when it leads to the unnecessary pregnancies and scattering of the sexually transmitted illnesses. With no personal intention, the patient tries to ignore his pain by means of the pleasures of sexual addictions yet they feel worthless and their orgasm floods back again soon. All these feelings make the condition of the patient worse. This addiction does not only impact the family life of the person but also makes the pessimistic impact on the social life and relations (Giuliani, 2012).

Addiction of sex and its impact on personal and social relationships

Addiction of sex is the topic which has been controversial. It is also known as the compulsive disorder or hypersexual disorder (Carnes & Murray, 2005). This topic has been controversial in media as well as in science both. There is actually no scientific proof about this matter that it is a disease yet it is considered as the disorder only. It can easily be described as the issues which might involve the impairment in physical functions of health, cognition, control of impulse, attachment, mood and intimacy or it can simply be an excuse for the lack of responsibility. There has always been the controversy when the classes of some behaviors involving sexual types that are taken to be usual are medically pathologized (Phillips, 2015). First and the foremost disapproval of the compulsive behavior disorder is that it might be simple indication of the fundamental Axis I disorder. In one research, the topic of sexual addiction controversy, 89% of example actually met the criterion of diagnosis for the Axis I disorder at the time of meeting and 99% met the criterion for the Axis I disorder at least once in their lifetime. There was a common diagnosis of the mood and anxiety disorders. This compulsive sexual behavior was expected to have the occurrence of 3 to 6 % in the United States of America. The majority persons with hyper sexuality are gentleman yet studies that have inspected both male and female accounted a percentage of 8 to 40 female (Davis, 2008).

Sexuality is actually reliant on multiple features involving personal as well as relation variable, society norms, morals of culture and racial and spiritual values and way of life. While talking about the topic of hyper sexuality, the contexts are required to be considered. The challenge lies in the definition of the irregular and pathological sexual observations. Example: study of Sweden initiated that the occurrence of uncomplicated sexual activity was not sufficient for establishing the pathology; huge occurrence of the sexual behavior with the steady associate was linked with the better psychological functioning while alone and impersonal sexual behavior was linked with the psychiatric confusions and dysfunctions. According to Coleman, Raymond and McBean (2003), the disorder is referred to as the obsessive sailing and many partners, compulsive fixation, obsessive autoeroticism or usage of erotica, usage of internet compulsively, multiple love partners and obsessive complexity in the sexual partnerships and relationships (Bobrow, 2017).

Hypersexual disorders are projected as the new psychiatric disarray for the concern in the sexual disorders for DSM-V (Keane, 2004). This disorder is theorized as the non paraphilic sexual wish with the impulsive element in it. This addiction involves the core elements of addiction as claimed by Potenza. These elements are: A craving phase before the behavioral engagement or the compulsive involvement, impaired control over the behavioral engagement and continuous behavioral commitment in spite opposite outcomes. The patients who have excess sexual behaviors explain a very deep emotion of dysphoria and depressive opinions when they try to stop sexual behaviors which are not appropriate at all. This process can be compared with the pulling out symptoms after the sudden discontinuation of the drug. Such type of symptoms generally makes the person engage himself in the self stimulating behaviors like masturbation in excessive manner for escaping the emotional feelings which overload them at that time. In addition to that the patients with sexual addictions most of the time observe having the genital injuries or any disease which are sexually transmitted (Karim & Chaudhri, 2012).

Controversies surrounding sex addiction as a disorder

The major disapproval which the sex addiction as disorder faces was that it was not considered as the disease. This criticism, tough, lies in the opposite to the huge figure of studies and maintenance of science of addiction involving the sex addiction as brain illness. The growing theoretical proofs displays that particular people can develop the maladaptive patterns of the behaviors which are consuming and material which are necessary for endurance consisting of foodstuff and sex (Garcia, 2010).

The revelations in the research and the science was linked with the addiction confirmed that the behavior or procedure of addiction involving sex addiction was not just the chemical dependence model but also was based on technical thoughtfulness which are cliché brain methods at effort in the brain linked to the addiction of different types (Weintein, 2017). There are some critiques which have said that mostly scientists have already discarded the model of sex addiction & also stated that the current studies fail to give the help for the model of pathological hyper sexuality. Then still the research is continued for revealing the hyper sexuality that it can be pathological and also full of issues. However, addiction of sex is the base for laughs on multiple TV programs and also in Magazines and films, the reality is far away from this. It is a very dangerous condition that can damage families, relations and the life of the person who suffers from it (Scientist, 2018). Till today, the psychiatrics are not able to believe that sex addiction is a mental health issue due to the lack of the research in the same topic. According to a research report, 54% of the people with hypersexual disorder believes hat their issues with sexual activity started prior of the age 18 and 30% stated that they started noticing the issues after 18 years of age and this went on till 25 years of age. Any addiction involves the mechanism of brain in it (Kearney, 2012).

Scientists have recognized shared trails touched by addictive behavior and also changes amid the brains of addicted and non-addicted persons, enlightening collective features of compulsion, irrespective of the matter or behavior. Nevertheless, there remains a hole amid the scientific developments and the understanding by public as well as the public policy, and healing developments (Goodman, 1993). The realisms of addiction in the world should be faced. In the conclusion, it can be said that sex addiction is real yet it is not clear if it can come under any disorder or disease. There have been mixed responses about the same.

References:

Bobrow, E. (2017). Can you really be addicted to sex? Retrieved October 17, 2018, from https://www.1843magazine.com/features/can-you-really-be-addicted-to-sex

Carnes, P. J., & Murray, R. E. (2005). Bargains With Chaos: Sex Addicts and Addiction Interaction Disorder. Sexual Addiction & Compulsivity: The Journal of Treatment and Prevention , 12 (2), 79-120.

Davis, L. J. (2008). Sex Addiction? An Obsession? A Disease? Retrieved October 17, 2018, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/obsessively-yours/200811/sex-addiction-obsession-disease

Garcia, F. D. (2010). Sexual addictions. The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse , 36, 254–260.

Giuliani, M. (2012). Sexual Addiction Theory, causes and therapy. Retrieved October 17, 2018, from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/234118847_Sexual_AddictionTheory_causes_and_therapy

Goodman, A. (1993). Diagnosis and treatment of sexual addiction. Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy , 19 (3), 225-251.

Karim, R., & Chaudhri, P. (2012). Behavioral Addictions: An Overview. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs , 44 (1), 5-17.

Keane, H. (2004). Disorders of Desire: Addiction and Problems of Intimacy. Journal of Medical Humanities , 25 (3), 189-204.

Kearney, C. (2012). Sex Addiction Is A Legitimate Mental Disorder. Retrieved October 17, 2018, from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/251803.php

McPherson, S. (2013). Towards a Model of Sex Addiction: Childhood Experiences and Substance Addictions. Sexual Addiction and Compulsivity · , 20 (4), 259-278.

Phillips, B. (2015). Sex Addiction as a Disease: Evidence for Assessment, Diagnosis, and Response to Critics. Sexual Addiction & Compulsivity , 22, 167-192.

Scientist, N. (2018). Fight over whether sex addiction exists. New Scientist , 237 (3160).

Skinner, K. B. (2014). Is Pornography (Sexual) Addiction Real? Retrieved October 17, 2018, from 2014https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/inside-porn-addiction/201411/is-pornography-sexual-addiction-real

Weintein, H. (2017). Enough, Enough, Enough. Retrieved October 19, 2018, from file:///C:/Users/Nidhi%20Vyas_JPR/Downloads/2723510_144736641_Enoughenoughenoughsexualharras%20(1).pdf