#HealthBytes: Signs and symptoms of sex addiction
What's the story
A satisfying sexual life results in overall emotional, physical, and mental well-being.
However, like many other emotional and physical aspects of life, sex too, must be practised within healthy limits.
Sex addiction exists, and it can prove to be really dangerous for your mental and emotional health.
Here are signs and symptoms of sexual addiction, and what you can do about it.
Signs (1)
Signs: Many partners, compulsive masturbation, pornography addiction
Some general signs and symptoms of sexual addiction are:
1) Having numerous sexual partners, one night stands, and no-strings-attached flings.
2) You don't mind spending considerable amount of time, energy and money on meeting your sexual needs and fantasies.
3) You've been masturbating compulsively and uncontrollably, of late.
4) You customarily watch pornography as well.
Signs (2)
Signs: Sex as coping method, weird sexual behavior, sexual monotony
At times, you stick to sex in order to cope up with stress, anxiety and boredom.
Without sex, you feel unimportant or ignored.
Your sexual behavior might include going to prostitutes, strip clubs, voyeurism, exhibitionism or stalking.
Sex, for you, no longer feels fun, but greatly mundane and routine.
You've been engaging in risky sexual practices, like having unprotected sex.
Signs (3)
Signs: Increased cyber sexual-behavior; concealment, interference with life
You've been increasingly busy with cyber dating, phone sex, sex-chatting, and computer sex.
You keep concealing your sexual outings and behaviors from friends and family.
Your sexual compulsiveness is constantly interfering with your work, relationships, marriage, hobbies, happiness, among other things.
Information
What you can do about your sexual addiction
If some of the above mentioned symptoms stand true for yourself and you feel that sexual compulsiveness is increasingly interfering with your normal life, do look out for a mental health professional like a psychologist or a licensed social worker and seek help.