How Much Sex Can Be Too Much? When can sexual addiction become a problem? Compulsive sexual behavior is sometimes called “hypersexuality”, “hypersexual disorder” or “sexual addiction”. We chat with two experts in clinical sexology to understand what we mean when we talk about hypersexuality.
“The term ‘hypersexuality’ is little known and in our society is often seen as something positive. Relates to people who passionately enjoy sex because normally they are usually pleasant sexual experiences, but it is not like that, “he warns Marisol Gomez, specialized in clinical psychology and sexology.
Hypersexuality or compulsive sexual behavior
“When we speak of hypersexuality we refer to an uncontrollable impulse of sexual fantasies or behaviors that causes anguish in those who suffer it and generates significant discomfort in all areas of life “, adds the expert.
“It is treated as a disorder although this word patients do not like at all. However, it is essential to make the patient understand that it is for be able to start ending your addiction“, he explains.
A hypersexual person may not have sex with his partner, but have a frenetic sexual routine in parallel, says Marisol Gómez. Ultimately, there is a dissociation between the emotional and the physical.
How to identify this behavior
How to detect where is the boundary between the simple sexual appetite and obsession? “When these behaviors become essential, compulsive, and only matters satiate the desire for sex above all. At that moment, the individual does not see further and begins to destroy his life habits, his relationships, etc. The other person becomes a mere object“, sentence Joaquín González, specialist in sexuality and mental health.
Furthermore, these irrational impulses They also do not allow us to fully enjoy sex since liberation, according to González, is momentary.
For diagnose this disease, experts agree that it is essential for the professional to investigate whether the person has any mental health problem, Yes it is alcoholic or dope, if you live in an environment of violence … All in order to rule out that it is a side effect of any of these diseases.
And they recommend us answer these questions:
- Can I control my sexual urges?
- Does my sexual behavior harm my relationships or affect my work?
- Do I make an effort to constantly monitor my sexual behavior?
- Do my sexual behaviors cause me anxiety?
A behavior that occurs more in men
Is it true that there are more hypersexual men than women? The answer is yes, experts say. “Usually, when a woman has a trauma she tends to leave sex out of her life, while in man it happens just the other way around “, Marisol Gómez tells us.
How to ask for help
Treatment of the compulsive sexual behavior generally comprises psychotherapy (also called “speech therapy”), medications and self-help groups.
Seeking help can be a very complicated step being a so personal topic. However, keep in mind that what you talk about with a sexual health professional is completely confidential.
Photos | GTRES