Nymphomania, hypersexuality, erotomania, perversion, sexual obsession, sexual addiction

Essay by Anonymous UserCollege, Undergraduate July 2008

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Most common among men, sexual addiction is an overwhelming desire to have sex. Sexual behavior becomes a problem and is considered an addiction when it is repeated often enough to interfere with normal daily living. Addictive sexual behavior interferes with relationships, work, friendships, and lifestyle.

There is a line between being enjoying sex, its peripheral pleasures and sexual addiction. In sexual addiction long periods of time are given over to sex-related activities. Sex addicts feel unable to control sexual behavior or even reduce its incidence. People with sexual addiction behavior often use sex as an escape from other problems such as anxiety, stress, depression and social isolation.

Signs and symptoms of compulsive sexual behavior * Having multiple sexual partners or extramarital affairs.

* Engaging in sex with many anonymous partners or prostitutes. Sex addicts treat sexual partners as objects rather than social intimates that are only used for sex.

* Engaging in excessive masturbation, as often as 10 to 20 times a day.

* Using pornographic materials a lot. Using chat rooms or on line pornography or sex chat phone lines excessively.

Causes of sexual addiction There are a number of theories on why sexual addiction occurs. For example, psychological and emotional difficulties, personality disorder, as a form of coping mechanism, a result of childhood trauma. In some forms of mental illness sexual addiction can be a feature, in depression, bipolar disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder Some neurological disorders can, rarely, result in sexual addictions. These include epilepsy, head injury and dementia.

Problematic effects of compulsive sexual behaviorSexual addiction can cause a vicious circle of low self-esteem, anxiety and depression. Although excessive sex can bring short term relief, the harm to the psychological well-being of the individual and to their relationships means intervention is required to bring the problem back...