Sex addiction and its causes

Sex addiction can be defined as the obsessive, uncontrollable engagement in sex even it has negative implications on you.

Sex addiction and its causes

This sex addiction goes too far that even when a person clearly knows about its implications, but is unable to keep from sexual activity unless there comes an intervening event.

Different from a healthy sex drive, a sex addict will spend an excessive amount of time seeking or engaging in sex. Often sex addicts, use sex as a form of escape from emotional and psychological problems like stress, depression, anxiety, and social isolation.

However,  sex addiction is not classified as a clinical diagnosis in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) published by the American Psychiatric Association (APA). Consequently, the diagnostic point of comparison for sex addiction is undetermined and prejudiced.

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Types of sex addiction

While there are no specific categories of sexual addiction, it can be exhibited in the following forms

Pornography.
Prostitution.
Masturbation or fantasy.
Sadistic or masochistic behavior.
Exhibition/Voyeurism.
Other excessive sexual pursuits.

What causes sex addiction?

A number of things have been posited as potential causes of sexual addiction.

Trauma – Abuse and sexual molestation are some of the things that may contribute to sex addiction. It can be a form of escape from childhood traumas.
Mental illnesses – Mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety and bipolar disorder can trigger hypersexual behavior.
Hormones – Abnormally high levels of sex hormones like testosterone or estrogen can cause one to obsessively engage in sex.
Exposure to sexual content especially in the early ages creates an avenue for sex addiction.
Psychological factors – Isolation and rejection from your social circles are some of the things that can lead to preoccupation with sex.
Escape– People can revert to sex when going through hard times to give them temporary reprieve. Divorce, family trouble, rocky relationships, troubled finances are some of the things that can drive people to seek solace in obsessive sex.
Genes – According to Psyche Guides, genetic predisposition to emotional dysregulation, impulsivity, or sensation-seeking behavior can cause sex addiction.

The American Psychiatric Association, the archivist of all mental health definitions, has not recognized sexual addiction as a real diagnosis, whereas the World Health Organization at least has a disorder called “excessive sexual drive” in its ICD-10 list of diseases.