Do You Suffer From Compulsive Sexual Disorder?

Do You Suffer From Compulsive Sexual Disorder

http://www.sca-recovery.org/20questions.htm

The Twenty Questions for Compulsive Sexual Disorder

1. Do you frequently experience remorse, depression, or guilt about your sexual activity?

2. Do you feel your sexual drive and activity is getting out of control? Have you repeatedly tried to stop or reduce certain sexual behaviors, but inevitably you could not?

3. Are you unable to resist sexual advances, or turn down sexual propositions when offered?

 4. Do you use sex to escape from uncomfortable feelings such as anxiety, fear, anger, resentment, guilt, etc. which seem to disappear when the sexual obsession starts?

5. Do you spend excessive time obsessing about sex or engaged in sexual activity?

6. Have you neglected your family, friends, spouse or relationship because of the time you spend in sexual activity?

7. Do your sexual pursuits interfere with your work or professional development?

8. Is your sexual life secretive, a source of shame, and not in keeping with your values? Do you lie to others to cover up your sexual activity?

9. Are you afraid of sex? Do you avoid romantic and sexual relationships with others and restrict your sexual activity to fantasy, masturbation, and solitary or anonymous activity?

10. Are you increasingly unable to perform sexually without other stimuli such as pornography, videos, "poppers," drugs/alcohol, "toys," etc.?

11. Do you have to resort increasingly to abusive, humiliating, or painful sexual fantasies or behaviors to get sexually aroused?

12. Has your sexual activity prevented you from developing a close, loving relationship with a partner? Or, have you developed a pattern of intense romantic or sexual relationships that never seem to last once the excitement wears off?

13. Do you only have anonymous sex or one-night stands? Do you usually want to get away from your sexual partner after the encounter?

14. Do you have sex with people with whom you normally would not associate?

15. Do you frequent clubs, bars, adult bookstores, restrooms, parks and other public places in search of sexual partners?

16. Have you ever been arrested or placed yourself in legal jeopardy for your sexual activity?

17. Have you ever risked your physical health with exposure to sexually transmitted diseases by engaging in "unsafe" sexual activity?

18. Has the money you spent on pornography, videos, phone sex, or hustlers/prostitutes strained your financial resources?

19. Have people you trust expressed concern about your sexual activity?

20. Does life seem meaningless and hopeless without a romantic or sexual relationship?

If your answers to most these questions (more than 50 %) are YES, then you may be suffering from Compulsive Sexual Behavior.

The fourteen characteristics that the Compulsive Sexual Behavior people suffer are as follows:

These are the characteristics most of Compulsive Sexual Behavior people seem to have in common as they describe themselves:

1. As adolescents, we used fantasy and compulsive masturbation to avoid feelings, and continued this tendency into our adult lives with compulsive sex.

2. Compulsive sex became a drug, which we used to escape from feelings such as anxiety, loneliness, anger and self-hatred, as well as joy.

3. We tended to become immobilized by romantic obsessions. We became addicted to the search for sex and love; as a result, we neglected our lives.

4. We sought oblivion in fantasy and masturbation, and lost ourselves in compulsive sex. Sex became a reward, punishment, distraction and time-killer.

5. Because of our low self-esteem, we used sex to feel validated and complete.

6. We tried to bring intensity and excitement into our lives through sex, but felt ourselves growing steadily emptier.

7. Sex was compartmentalized instead of integrated into our lives as a healthy element.

8. We became addicted to people, and were unable to distinguish among sex, love and affection.

9. We searched for some "magical" quality in others to make us feel complete. Other people were idealized and endowed with a powerful symbolism, which often disappeared after we had sex with them.

10. We were drawn to people who were not available to us, or who would reject or abuse us.

11. We feared relationships, but continually searched for them. In a relationship, we feared abandonment and rejection, but out of one, we felt empty and incomplete.

12. While constantly seeking intimacy with another person, we found that the desperate quality of our need made true intimacy with anyone impossible, and we often developed unhealthy dependency relationships that eventually became unbearable.

13. Even when we got the love of another person, it never seemed enough, and we were unable to stop lusting after others.

14. Trying to conceal our dependency demands, we grew more isolated from ourselves, from God, and from the very people we longed to be close to.

Compulsive Sexual Behavior

 http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/compulsive-sexual-behavior/DS00144

By Mayo Clinic staff

Definition

 Sexual expression is a natural part of a well-rounded life. But if you're obsessed with sexual thoughts, feelings or behaviors that affect your health, job, relationships or other parts of your life, you may have compulsive sexual behavior.

Compulsive sexual behavior - sometimes called hypersexuality, nymphomania or sexual addiction - may involve a normally enjoyable sexual experience that becomes an obsession. Or compulsive sexual behavior may involve fantasies or activities outside the bounds of culturally, legally or morally accepted sexual behavior.

No matter what it's called or the exact nature of the behavior, untreated compulsive sexual behavior can damage your self-esteem, relationships, career and other people. But with treatment and self-help, you can manage compulsive sexual behavior and keep your urges in check.

 Symptoms

 In many cases, compulsive sexual behavior consists of generally acceptable sexual acts taken to an extreme. These behaviors become problems when they become an obsession that's disruptive or harmful to you or others.

Other compulsive sexual behaviors are outside the bounds of commonly accepted conduct. Called paraphilias, these behaviors range from compulsive cross-dressing to having sexual desires toward children (pedophilia).

Compulsive sexual behavior symptoms vary in type and severity. Some signs that you may be struggling with compulsive sexual behavior include:

§ Your sexual impulses are intense and feel as if they're beyond your control.

§ Even though you feel driven to engage in certain sexual behavior, you may or may not find the activity a source of pleasure or satisfaction.

§ You use compulsive sexual behavior as an escape from other problems, such as loneliness, depression, anxiety or stress.

§ You continue to engage in risky sexual behavior despite serious consequences, such as the potential for getting or giving someone else a sexually transmitted disease, the loss of important relationships, trouble at work or legal problems.

§ You have trouble establishing and maintaining emotional closeness, even if you're married or in a committed relationship.

There's a broad range of sexual activities that can be warning signs of compulsive sexual behavior. Examples include:

§ Having multiple sexual partners or extramarital affairs

§ Having sex with anonymous partners or prostitutes

§ Avoiding emotional involvement in sexual relationships

§ Using commercial sexually explicit phone and Internet services

§ Engaging in excessive masturbation

§ Frequently using pornographic materials

§ Engaging in masochistic or sadistic sex

§ Exhibitionism

§ Having a fixation on an unattainable sex partner

 When to see a doctor

Get help if you feel like you've lost control of your sexual behavior, especially if your behavior causes problems for you or for other people. Compulsive sexual behavior tends to become more intense and difficult to control over time, so get help when you first recognize there may be a problem. Efforts to use sheer willpower to resist sexual compulsions may not succeed because the urges can be so powerful.

Here are some questions to ask yourself as you decide whether to seek professional help:

§ Can I control my sexual impulses?

§ Is my sexual behavior hurting my relationships, affecting my work or resulting in negative consequences, such as getting arrested?

§ Is sex constantly on my mind, even when I don't want to think about it?

§ Do I try to hide my sexual behavior?

§

Seek treatment right away

Seek immediate treatment if:

§ You think you may cause harm with uncontrolled sexual behavior

§ You have bipolar disorder or other problems with impulse control, and you feel like your sexual behavior is slipping out of control

§ You are suicidal

 Causes

 It's unclear what causes compulsive sexual behavior. Causes may include:

§ An imbalance of natural brain chemicals. High levels of certain chemicals in your brain (neurotransmitters) such as serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine may be related to compulsive sexual behavior. These brain chemicals also help regulate your mood.

§ Sex hormone levels. Androgens are sex hormones that occur naturally in both men and women. Although androgens also have a vital role in sexual desire, it's not clear exactly how they're related to compulsive sexual behavior.

§ Conditions that affect the brain. Certain diseases or health problems may cause damage to parts of the brain that affect sexual behavior. Multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, Huntington's disease and dementia have all been associated with compulsive sexual behavior. In addition, treatment of Parkinson's disease with some dopamine agonist medications may cause compulsive sexual behavior.

§ Changes in brain pathways. Compulsive sexual behavior is an addiction that over time might actually cause changes in the brain's neural circuits - the network of nerves that allows brain cells to communicate with one another. These changes may cause pleasant reactions by engaging in sexual behavior and unpleasant reactions when the behavior is stopped.

 Risk factors

 Compulsive sexual behavior can occur in both men and women, though it's most common in men. It can also affect anyone regardless of sexual preference - whether heterosexual, homosexual or bisexual.

 Compulsive sexual behavior often occurs in people who have:

§ Alcohol or drug abuse problems

§ Another psychological condition, such as a mood disorder, impulse control disorder or other mental health problem

§ A history of physical or sexual abuse

 Complications

 Compulsive sexual behavior can have numerous negative consequences that affect both you and others. You may:

§ Struggle with feelings of guilt, shame and low self-esteem

§ Develop other mental health conditions, such as depression, extreme stress and anxiety

§ Neglect or lie to your partner and family, taxing or destroying meaningful relationships

§ Accumulate financial debts purchasing pornography and sexual services

§ Contract HIV, hepatitis or another sexually transmitted disease, or pass a sexually transmitted disease to someone else

§ Engage in unhealthy substance use, such as drug or alcohol abuse

§ Be arrested for sexual offenses

§ Lose your focus or engage in sexual activity at work, risking your job

§ Face an unwanted pregnancy and its consequences

Last Updated on Tuesday, 15 June 2010 15:36