What is Sexual Obsessive Disorder, What Are Its Symptoms,

What is sexual obsessive disorder? Sexual obsessive disorder is a person’s constantly recurring sexual obsessions and thoughts. These thoughts negatively affect a person’s life, and they may lose their functionality as they struggle intensely against their thoughts.

People are described as “perverts” for having these obsessions, but most of the time these people live in fear, anxiety and shame. At the same time, they cannot reach an appropriate treatment method because they cannot tell anyone about these taboo subjects.

At this point, as the Terappin family, we have prepared this article to break all the taboos and answer many questions such as what is sexual obsessive disorder, what are its causes and so on. If you have sexual obsessions and thoughts that you cannot stop, this article will be very useful for you and will provide you with the treatment methods you are looking for.

Are you ready to understand what sexual obsessive disorder is and why it is so complex? If you’re ready, let’s get started.

 

 What is Sexual Obsessive Disorder?

What is sexual obsessive disorder? Sexual obsessive disorder is also known as hypersexuality or sex addiction.

This is a pattern of behavior that involves intense preoccupation with sexual fantasies, urges, or behaviors that are difficult to control, distressing, and negatively impact your health, work, relationships, or other parts of your life.

Compulsive sexual behavior can involve a variety of sexual experiences that are often pleasurable. Examples include masturbation, cybersex, having multiple sexual partners, use of pornography, or paying for sex.

When these sexual behaviors become a major focus in your life, are difficult to control, and begin to become uncomfortable or harmful to you or others, they are considered compulsive sexual behavior.

Whatever it is called or the nature of the behavior, untreated compulsive sexual behavior can harm self-esteem, relationships, career, health, and other people. However, with professional treatment, you can learn to manage compulsive sexual behavior. For this, it is necessary to first understand what sexual obsessive disorder is.

 

Types of Sexual Obsessive Disorder

What is sexual obsessive disorder and what are its types?

This disorder can present in different ways and focus on different sexual contexts. Sexual obsessive disorder is a disorder that includes sexual obsessions and obsessions. Here are the common types of sexual obsessive disorder:

 Homosexual Sexual Obsessions:

If you are preoccupied with homosexual thoughts and are disturbed by these thoughts, you may have homosexual obsessions. At the same time, in this type of obsession, you may experience conflict about your sexual orientation and have difficulty accepting your sexual orientation.

 Pedophilia Sexual Obsessions:

If you constantly have sexual thoughts or obsessions about children, you may have this obsession. It is also possible for you to feel uncomfortable with your own thoughts and think that they pose a danger.

 Abusive Sexual Obsessions:

If you constantly have thoughts about sexual abuse or harassment and feel fear and discomfort because of this obsession, you may have an abusive sexual obsession. This type is a type of sexual obsessive compulsive disorder that is also seen in people who were abused or harassed in childhood.

 Obsessive Masturbation:

If you are obsessively preoccupied with thoughts of masturbating and this affects your daily life or causes problems in your relationships and sexual relationships, you may be experiencing obsessive masturbation obsession.

 Relationship Sexual Obsessions:

If you constantly have the fear of harming your partner or making a mistake in sexual intercourse, and if you think that you cannot control your own emotional reactions or if you experience a feeling of insecurity in your relationships, you may have a sexual obsession.

 Sexual Violence Obsessions:

If you have thoughts about sexual violence or rape and continue to think about these issues obsessively, no matter how much you try to prevent them, you may have a sexual violence obsession. In such a situation, your anxiety level increases and you feel uncomfortable with these thoughts.

These are just some examples and their types may differ from person to person. Each individual’s experiences are different, and it is important to consult a specialist to get the correct diagnosis and answer the question of how to treat it.

 

 What are the reasons? 

What is sexual obsessive disorder and what are its causes? Although the causes of compulsive sexual behavior are unclear, possible causes may include:

• Bipolar disorder
• Tumors and injuries in the frontal lobe of the brain
• substance use
• Current or past eating disorder
• Medicines
• The reason it is frequently seen, especially among women, is exposure to sexual abuse.

 Imbalances in brain chemicals

Certain chemicals (neurotransmitters) in the brain , such as serotonin , dopamine , and norepinephrine, help regulate mood. If these chemicals rise to high levels, obsessive sexual behavior is triggered. This is important information to explain why sexual obsessive disorder is.

 Changes in the ways the brain works

Hypersexuality can be an addiction that, over time, can cause changes in the brain’s neural circuits, particularly the brain’s reinforcement centers. As a result, as with other addictions, more intense sexual content and stimulation is often required over time to achieve satisfaction or relief.

 Disease conditions that affect the brain

Certain diseases or health problems, such as epilepsy and dementia, can cause damage to parts of the brain that affect sexual behavior. Additionally, treatment of Parkinson’s disease with some anti-dopamine drugs can cause compulsive sexual obsessions. If you have one of these diseases and engage in hypersexual behavior, it is quite normal to wonder what sexual obsessive disorder is.

 

What are the Symptoms of Sexual Obsessive Disorder?

What is sexual obsessive disorder and what are its symptoms? In order to better define what sexual obsessive disorder is, we should pay attention to what its symptoms are.

Even if you’re not a sex addict, you may have experienced some of the symptoms below. However, the main difference is the duration, frequency, and intensity of these symptoms and how much they interfere with their relationships and daily functioning.

General symptoms include:

• It has become extremely difficult or even impossible to postpone or control sexual urges and needs.
• Your urges may have led to repetitive sexual activities that are rarely satisfying. You may always want more.
• Your focus on sex-related behaviors has begun to cause you to encounter conflicts at work, in your relationships, and within yourself.
• You may experience guilt and shame for not being able to stop some of these behaviors.
• You may be experiencing significant distress and conflict in your life due to your obsessive impulses and behaviors.

To reach a diagnosis, these symptoms must be present intensely for at least six months.

The four most challenging main symptoms include:

 Loss of Control

The biggest indicator of the question of what is sexual obsessive disorder is loss of control.

People who identify themselves as sex addicts admit that they have difficulty controlling their sexual urges and behaviors. When you have this disorder, you may want to stop or avoid certain sexual behaviors, but you are unable to do so.

However, having an intense physical urge or desire does not mean that you have sexual obsessive compulsive disorder . You may be someone with a high libido, but if necessary, you can avoid, postpone, control and interrupt sexual urges and behaviors. This shows that you are in control.

This is not the case for sex addicts. For example, they may feel a constant urge to watch pornography. They give in to this urge, even if it means missing a day of work or school or disturbing someone else.

 Having Sex at the Center of Your Life

People who experience hypersexuality organize all their affairs primarily according to their physical urges and fantasies.

Even if they want to focus on another thought, their fantasies and impulses prevail. They can disrupt many tasks in work, school and social life. When this situation progresses, they may even compromise on physical and spatial cleanliness.

 Succumbing to Impulsive and Compulsive Behaviors

The most searched words for what is sexual obsessive disorder are impulsivity and compulsive behavior. This is because sex addiction involves largely uncontrollable physical urges, desires and attitudes.

If you are a sex addict, you may engage in physical activities by succumbing to momentary pleasures without thinking about the consequences. Or you may be performing physical activities repeatedly to escape certain emotions, which is a sign of compulsive behavior.

For example, you may be under stress at work, feeling tense and anxious, and engaging in sexual behavior to escape these feelings. So, you want to continue engaging in physical acts even when you don’t enjoy them.

 Behaviors That Lead to Negative Consequences

Another symptom of sex addiction is the presence of persistent behaviors that damage relationships or endanger people’s safety.

One indicator that a person is living with this is whether they are neglecting other areas of their life, such as family or employment obligations, in order to engage in sex-oriented behaviors.

This behavior may be similar to that of someone living with a substance use disorder or addiction . You start putting it before everything else in your life.

However, although the behavior is similar, the cause is different. While drug use may have a chemical explanation, sexual obsessions cannot be explained physiologically.

Sex addicts are unable to avoid or stop such behavior, even if they feel remorse or guilt after compulsive and compulsive physical activities.

 

 When Should You Seek Treatment?

If you feel like you’re losing control of your sexual behavior, don’t be ashamed to ask for help, especially if your behavior is causing problems for you or other people. Compulsive sexual behavior tends to get worse over time without treatment, so you should get help when you first notice a problem. Meanwhile, ask yourself:

• Can I manage my sexual urges?
• Am I uncomfortable with my sexual behavior?
• Is my sexual behavior harming my relationships, affecting my job, or causing serious problems such as arrest?
• Am I trying to hide my sexual behavior?

Getting help for compulsive sexual behavior can be difficult because it is such a personal and intimate issue. You can try:

• Putting aside any shame or embarrassment and focusing on the benefits of receiving treatment.
• Remembering that you are not alone – many people struggle with compulsive sexual behavior.
• Seeking a psychiatrist or psychologist experienced in diagnosing and treating compulsive sexual behavior.
• Remembering that what you say to a health or mental health professional is private. However, if you say you are going to harm yourself or someone else, they must make a report.

 

 How is Sexual Therapy Done?

Treatment of this disorder is possible with psychotherapy, medication and therapy groups.

 Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy treatment can be carried out in the form of online sexual therapy or face to face. It includes three main treatment methods:

 Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT):

It is determined what the situation is, its reasons and the negativities that develop accordingly. Thus, a personalized treatment method is determined.

Acceptance and commitment therapy:

It involves acceptance and determined improvement of disturbing impulses and thoughts.

 Psychodynamic therapy:

It is increasing awareness through unconscious thoughts and behaviors.

 group therapies

It involves groups where you meet with people who have experienced this condition before.

These groups can help you with:

• Learning about your disorder
• Finding support and help for your situation
• Identifying additional treatment options, coping behaviors, and resources
• Considering help options to prevent relapse