# Hypersexual Addiction



## jnj express (Mar 28, 2011)

You don't need to answer this, it is just FYI---but someone ought to keep bumping it---so new people can read this

A report just came in on WEB MD---on sexual addiction---it is now called hypersexual addiction, and it gives, basic reasons, causes, and treatments---by some of the institutes, and dr's, dealing with this


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## jnj express (Mar 28, 2011)

bump


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## LRgirl (Apr 9, 2013)

jnj express said:


> bump


can we post the report here?


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## stevehowefan (Apr 3, 2013)

What happened to the term "sl_t?" Or the term "male w*o*e?" Why give it another name? I mean, if you're in a monogamous relationship, being one or the other is acceptable. Being in a one-sided relationship, where one is faithful and one isn't means that the person is "loose," morally. There is now a new word, for a new condition, whereas there will be new excuses and new treatments for the new condition, possibly new laws and court rulings pertaining to the new condition. Good grief.


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## stevehowefan (Apr 3, 2013)

Soon enough, socialists will be called Democrats and conservatives will be called fascists. Oh, wait.


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## jnj express (Mar 28, 2011)

I don't know how to get it from Web MD, over here, if someone else does---I am sure it make it easier for everyone to read the info


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## Thorburn (Nov 23, 2011)

Sexual Conditions Health Center

Is Sex Addiction Real?

S
By Matt McMillen
WebMD Feature
Reviewed by Joseph Goldberg, MD

You've probably heard of sex addiction, but you might be surprised to know that there's debate about whether it's truly an addiction, and that it's not even all about sex.

"That's a common misconception," says Rory Reid, PhD, LCSW, a research psychologist at UCLA's Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior. "It is no more about sex than an eating disorder is about food or pathological gambling is about money."

Sex addicts, in other words, are not simply people who crave lots of sex. Instead, they have underlying problems -- stress, anxiety, depression, shame -- that drive their often risky sexual behavior.

"Those are some of the core issues that you start to see when you treat someone with sex addiction," says John O'Neill, LCSW, LCDC, CAS, CART, a certified addiction counselor at the Menninger Clinic in Houston. "You can't miss those pieces."
What Is Sex Addiction?

Sex addiction won't be in the upcoming edition of the DSM-5, which is used to diagnose mental disorders.

That doesn't mean that it's not a very real problem.

"People are going to seek help, and there doesn't need to be diagnosable condition for them to get help," Reid says. "If they are suffering, we want to help them."

Reid and many other experts prefer the term "hypersexual disorder," rather than "sex addiction."

By either name, it's about people who keep engaging in sexual behaviors that are damaging them and/or their families.

As examples, Reid cites men who spend half their income on prostitutes, and office workers who surf the web for porn despite warnings that they'll lose their job if they keep it up.

"Who does that? Somebody with a problem," Reid says.

That problem puts so much at risk: their personal lives, their social lives, their jobs, and, with the threat of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, their health.

Despite the danger, they return to the same behaviors over and over, whether it's Internet porn, soliciting sex workers, ceaselessly seeking affairs, masturbating or exposing themselves in public, or any number of other acts.

"I see in them an inability to stop what they're doing," O'Neill says. "They're preoccupied; their brain just keeps going back to it. It often leads to loneliness and isolation. There's such intense shame and pain."

Frequently, a crisis convinces them to seek treatment, Reid says. They're caught in the act by a spouse, fired from their job, or arrested for soliciting sex from prostitutes. For some people, the crisis brings relief from distress caused by their behavior and constant fear of being discovered. "The world comes crashing down," says Reid, "and some say, 'I'm glad that I got caught.'"
Addiction or Not?

There are no reliable estimates of how many people have the disorder. Some studies suggest that it's more common in men, and gay men in particular, than women.


The causes are also unknown, or how similar it is to other addictions. That's one reason that Reid prefers the term hypersexual disorder (HD).

"We don't know if the [brain] mechanisms associated with HD behavior operate the same ways as a substance disorder or pathological gambling," Reid says.

Reid says HD behavior can appear similar to those associated with obsessive compulsive disorder. It also could be tied to abnormal levels of the brain chemical dopamine or serotonin. Or, problems related to attention, impulse control, or emotional regulation could also be involved.

"There are so many models or theories that we can look at to help us understand HD," Reid says. "An addiction model is just one of them."
Treating Hypersexual Disorder

There isn't much research on what treatments work best. Reid encourages his patients to challenge the thoughts that lead to their risky behavior.

"If a patient says he has a craving and he can't control it, I confront the 'can't,'" Reid says. "I ask, 'What's going to happen if you don't satisfy that craving? Is your penis going to fall off? No.' I try to get the patient to see things more realistically."

One-on-one counseling, support groups, and having a plan are key.

"You want to make connections with other people who are also struggling, and you have to know who you are going to call, what you are going to do, and how you are going to attend to your feelings," O'Neill says. "If they're willing to really follow through, work with their families and their support networks, in my experience, people can get significantly better and stay in recovery."

In some cases, medications used to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder or impulse control disorders may be used to curb the compulsive nature of the sex addiction.


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## jnj express (Mar 28, 2011)

ABC


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## Sussieq (Apr 6, 2013)

stevehowefan said:


> What happened to the term "sl_t?" Or the term "male w*o*e?" Why give it another name? I mean, if you're in a monogamous relationship, being one or the other is acceptable. Being in a one-sided relationship, where one is faithful and one isn't means that the person is "loose," morally. There is now a new word, for a new condition, whereas there will be new excuses and new treatments for the new condition, possibly new laws and court rulings pertaining to the new condition. Good grief.


If only it was that simple. I'd suggest that you read this article or research sex addiction.


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## Theseus (Feb 22, 2013)

Thorburn said:


> You've probably heard of sex addiction, but you might be surprised to know that there's debate about whether it's truly an addiction


Why would that be surprising? Plenty of people (including me) think that in a vast majority of cases, people use the term "sex addict" as an excuse for cheating. Turning it into a mental illness is a great way to deflect blame from one's self. But in nearly every case, these "sex addicts" (or I guess now we call them "hypersexuals") knew what they were doing.




> Reid and many other experts prefer the term "hypersexual disorder," rather than "sex addiction."


I am old enough to remember when it was called "nymphomania", but that term eventually became something of a compliment in magazines like _Penthouse Forum_, so I guess they had to come up with something else. But I have a feeling that "hypersexual" might also eventually become a term of endearment rather than a pejorative.


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## Thorburn (Nov 23, 2011)

Theseus said:


> Why would that be surprising? Plenty of people (including me) think that in a vast majority of cases, people use the term "sex addict" as an excuse for cheating. Turning it into a mental illness is a great way to deflect blame from one's self. But in nearly every case, these "sex addicts" (or I guess now we call them "hypersexuals") knew what they were doing.
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The issue in mental health and psychology is giving something a term so it can have validity. There are behaviors that they are trying group together into a diagnosis. The attempt this year to add this to the DSM failed. I am jaded but there are many web sites and treatment facilities that use sexual addiction, though it is loosely defined. Without it going into the DSM reimbursement will not happen as readily. Money is one factor in trying to add it to the DSM. Go to a sexual addiction treatment facility and try to use your insurance. Good luck.


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## jnj express (Mar 28, 2011)

ABC


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## PreRaphaelite (Dec 15, 2012)

stevehowefan said:


> Soon enough, socialists will be called Democrats and conservatives will be called fascists. Oh, wait.


Well, since anyone to the left of Rush Limbaugh is labelled as a liberal-socialist-unAmerican, that would be some change.


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