Sex Addiction Therapy: Guide to Treatment & Recovery
Clinical Review by:
Published:
Aug 26, 2024
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07:36 p.m.
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Updated:
Sep 26, 2024
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05:31 p.m.
ET
Sex addiction is a complicated mental health disorder that has been largely misunderstood among society and clinicians alike. There are a variety of biological, societal and psychological factors that may contribute to someone developing a sex addiction. In recent years there has been an uptick of patients who are seeking out treatment options and support for sex addiction. Having a greater understanding of what options are available for sex addiction can help families, friends and clinicians support someone who needs sex addiction therapy.
What is Sex Addiction? Is it real?
There has been a lot of conversation among medical professionals on how sex addiction should be identified, categorized and treated. Currently there are no criteria to distinguish sex addiction from other disorders and it does not have an official diagnosis in the DSM-5.
The term sex addiction often gets interchanged with mental health behaviors that involve sexual acts such as hypersexuality, compulsive sexual behavior or excessive sexual desire disorder. This does not mean that sex addiction is not a real issue that negatively affects many people.
There are also discussions on what type of disorder sex addiction should be categorized in. Being a multifaceted issue, sex addiction has characteristics that may fall into impulse-control disorders, addiction or even obsessive-compulsive disorders depending on the individual and their specific behaviors.
Until there is a set standard for how sex addiction is diagnosed, the treatment options available should take the symptoms and behavioral characteristics of each person into consideration when creating a plan for therapy.
Signs of Sex Addiction: How to spot the warnings
Sex addiction can be identified based on certain behaviors someone is having and unable to control or stop. Like many other additions, these behaviors can lead to negative consequences and often have a higher occurrence of relapse if treatment isn’t pursued. Signs of sex addiction can include:
Inability to control sexual urges
Lack of satisfaction during sexual activity
Repetitive sexual fantasies or actions that cannot be controlled
Ignoring responsibilities (work, school, home life) to engage in sexual activity
Illegal sexual conduct
Engaging in risky sexual behavior regardless of consequences
Feelings of guilt or shame around sexual activity or fantasies
Experiencing a high sexual drive or wanting to engage in a lot of casual sex does not always mean you are at risk of sex addiction. It is important to remember that sexual connection, desire and needs are a normal and healthy part of life. The escalation from normal sexual desire to sex addiction lies within the negative consequences of the behaviors.
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Treatment options for Sex Addiction
Evidence based treatment for sex addiction isn’t readily available yet due to the lack of research or official diagnosis. Those who need treatment can still benefit from other treatment models that address the behaviors associated with sex addiction.
Therapy
There are many different types of therapies used in mental health treatment, but for sex addiction, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy - or CBT - is beneficial for many. CBT is used to identify what thoughts and feelings affect an unwanted behavior. For sex addiction, CBT can help someone identify what may trigger their sexual impulses and how to avoid or change how their behavior is affected by them.
Sex addiction affects the people and situations around someone who is suffering from it and other forms of therapy may be beneficial as well. Family and couples therapy could both be helpful in rebuilding trust and strengthening relationships after the negative consequences of sex addiction.
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Inpatient/Outpatient Treatment
Many inpatient and outpatient facilities that treat other mental health diagnoses, such as addiction or co-occurring disorders, may have programs available that are tailored to treating sex addiction. Inpatient programs would take someone out of their everyday life and its triggers, typically for 30 days or more, though at times “intensives” can be 1-4 weeks. These programs involve different types of therapies like group and individual. The goal is to learn new coping mechanisms to combat the maladaptive behaviors of sex addiction.
Outpatient treatment is more flexible and can fit into someone's daily life a little easier. They can be done at various frequencies as well, everything from multiple hours each week to once per month. They often take place after an inpatient treatment program.
Medication
While there are no FDA approved medications specifically for sex addiction, medications that treat other addictions or compulsive-disorder behaviors have been used to treat the symptoms and behaviors associated with sex addiction. Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) are commonly used to help decrease compulsive urges and cravings that can also be associated with sex addiction.
Naltrexone, a medication that has been used in gambling addiction and other substance abuse, has also been tested in treating sex addiction. Naltrexone is used to block the euphoria or high that someone gets from gambling or substances, which in theory should impact the urge to use these in an impulsive way.
12-Step Program
12 -Step programs are made up of people with a similar issue who support one another on their way to recovery. Sex Addicts Anonymous (SAA) is a program specifically for those who are struggling with sex addiction. You can visit the SAA website to see what support groups are available in your area.
Sex Addiction therapy: Understanding the process
It’s important to remember that with sex addiction, one size treatment does not fit all. With no standard treatment process or therapy recommendation for sex addiction, treatment planning will have to consider each person's issues before beginning.
As with other mental health issues and addictions, sex addiction therapy is a process and does not have a set timeline or path for recovery. Sex addiction therapy may start with an initial consultation to determine the severity of someone’s behaviors. This can occur in a variety of settings such as an inpatient facility or with an individual therapist.
After an initial inventory of someone’s needs, a treatment plan will be formed. This can include various therapies, lifestyle changes, outpatient and aftercare planning.
Causes of Sex Addiction
Addiction can occur for a number of reasons, but may be in large part to biological and environmental factors. There have been many studies that showed addictive behaviors may be genetic and “run” in families. Certain people with a family history of addiction may be predisposed to developing an addiction.
The experiences someone has during their life may also impact whether or not they develop sex addiction. Studies have shown that factors that influence other kinds of addiction, such as stress, trauma or depression may also link to someone's sex addiction.
Brain chemistry and the reward system of the brain play a factor in addictive behaviors as well. When someone engages in sexual behavior that fulfills their addictive urges, dopamine is released in the brain as a reward. The brain continues to expect and then crave this reward and this contributes to the powerful urges someone may experience when trying to stop their sex addiction.
How common is Sex Addiction? Stats and trends
Many people may confuse a high sex drive with actual symptoms of sex addiction. The question remains, how common is sex addiction? A study reported by NBC found that 10% of men and 7% of women reported symptoms of compulsive and uncontrolled sexual thoughts and behavior.
There are also studies that suggest an increase in access to sexual material through phones, tablets and computers has contributed to the rise in sex addiction as well. Approximately 4.7 million adults in the United States reported watching more than 11 hours of pornographic material per week.
Sex addiction is complicated and it can be confusing figuring out what help is available. If you or someone you know is suffering from sex addiction, Birches Health has licensed professionals that you can set up an appointment with or anonymously have Birches reach out for you. To find more about what types of therapy Birches Health has to offer, reach out today.
