Sex Addiction: Ways to Identify It & Treatment Options

You're reading Sex Addiction: Ways to Identify It & Treatment Options, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you're enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.
Sexual addictions consist of compulsive behaviors that interfere with important areas of one's life, causing significant distress in daily living.

Identifying compulsive sexual behaviors as addictions is a topic that creates debate, even among mental health professionals.

The American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR) does not directly acknowledge the existence of sexual addictions. One of the updates proposed for next edition of the DSM is Hyperactive Sexual Desire Disorder, but the committee responsible for the update is not yet ready to call it an addiction. Some see it as a moral issue, a character issue, or a lack of self-control. However, some professionals are convinced that sexual addition is real, comparing it to substance abuse, particularly when it comes to its effect on the brain's pleasure center and its impact on human behavior.
Sexual Addiction and the Brain
The pleasure center of the brain includes:

The amygdala, which regulates emotions
The nucleus accumbens, which controls the release of dopamine
The ventral tegmental area (VTA), which actually releases the dopamine
The cerebellum, which controls muscle function
The pituitary gland, whi...

Source: PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement - June 20, 2018 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Lane Jesse Tags: health and fitness motivation psychology relationships self improvement addiction addiction effects on the brain distress porn addiction pornography sex addict sex addiction Source Type: blogs