Hypersexuality Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment Tips
Join 50,000+ men reclaiming their focus, energy, and confidence by quitting porn for life.
Imagine sitting on the couch, scrolling through endless pornographic content that is strung together like a movie, when your partner walks in. Instead of feeling excited at the prospect of getting it on with them, you feel panicked and embarrassed as they catch you indulging in this bizarre and unhealthy obsession. It’s moments like this that make people realize they want to quit porn for life. If you're wondering how to quit porn, this is often where the journey begins.
But the reality is that if you’re dealing with hypersexuality, quitting porn may be easier said than done. This guide will discuss hypersexuality and how it relates to porn addiction to help you understand why you feel driven to indulge in this behavior, and how that knowledge can help you quit porn for life.
Overcomer’s solution, quit porn, offers valuable insights to help readers achieve their long-term goals. This easy-to-follow program will help you understand how hypersexuality affects your brain and give you the tools to take control of your sexual health so that you can quit porn for life.
Table of Contents
Symptoms of Hypersexuality
Persistent Thoughts and Impulses That Seem Beyond Your Control
People who struggle with hypersexuality often experience frequent, intrusive thoughts about sex. These may take the form of sexual fantasies or urges to engage in sexual behaviors. No matter the content, these thoughts can disrupt daily life and feel outside the individual’s control. People with hypersexuality may feel distressed by these thoughts and may even try to suppress them. However, attempts to limit hypersexual thoughts often result in increased intensity and frequency.
Emotional Turmoil
Although engaging in sexual behaviors may provide temporary pleasure or relief, people struggling with hypersexuality often experience significant emotional distress related to their actions. This emotional turmoil may include feelings of guilt, shame, anxiety, and depression. Individuals may feel as though they are trapped in a cycle of addiction. Furthermore, they may feel isolated and unable to share their struggles with others.
Failed Attempts to Reduce Sexual Thoughts or Behaviors
Those with hypersexuality often recognize that their sexual behaviors or thoughts are problematic and want to change. However, they struggle to do so, even when they want to stop. Many people report making repeated, unsuccessful attempts to reduce hypersexual thoughts and behaviors. These failed attempts can lead to increased feelings of shame and isolation.
Using Sexual Behaviors to Cope with Stress or Difficult Emotions
Many people with hypersexuality use sexual thoughts or behaviors as a way to cope with difficult emotions or stressful situations. For example, they may look to sexual fantasies or pornography to manage anxiety or depression. While engaging in hypersexual behaviors may provide short-term relief, it ultimately reinforces the cycle of hypersexuality and leads to increased emotional distress.
Continuing to Engage in Hypersexual Behaviors Despite Negative Consequences
Hypersexuality can lead to significant negative repercussions in one’s life. For example, people struggling with hypersexuality may find that their relationships suffer due to their sexual behaviors. Others may experience legal or financial troubles as a result of their actions. Despite these consequences, individuals with hypersexuality often feel unable to stop engaging in problematic sexual behaviors.
Engaging in Risky Sexual Practices
People with hypersexuality often engage in risky sexual practices, such as having unprotected sex or sex with multiple partners. These behaviors can lead to adverse physical and emotional health outcomes, including sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and unwanted pregnancy. Furthermore, individuals may find that they are unable to stop even when they want to.
Lying About or Hiding Sexual Behaviors
Many people struggling with hypersexuality feel ashamed of their sexual thoughts or behaviors. As a result, they may go to great lengths to hide their actions from others. This may include lying to loved ones about their sexual activities or creating elaborate stories to cover up their choices. Even when they don’t want to, individuals with hypersexuality may feel driven to hide their behaviors.
Relationship Difficulties
Hypersexuality can take a serious toll on interpersonal relationships. People with hypersexuality may find it difficult to establish or maintain healthy romantic relationships. This may be due to a preoccupation with sexual thoughts or activities that leaves little room for genuine connections with others. Furthermore, individuals with hypersexuality may engage in risky sexual behaviors that put their partners at risk for STDs or infections.
Related Reading
Is Hypersexuality a Disorder
Is Hypersexuality a Disorder? Here’s What You Should Know.
The American Psychiatric Association proposed the idea of hypersexual disorder in 2010 for the DSM-5. The criteria focused on persistent and uncontrollable sexual behaviors that cause distress and impairment. However, the organization ultimately rejected its inclusion, citing insufficient evidence to support hypersexual disorder as a standalone psychiatric diagnosis.
Compulsive Sexual Behavior Disorder (CSBD) in ICD-11
The World Health Organization’s ICD-11 officially recognizes compulsive sexual behavior disorder (CSBD) as a diagnosable impulse-control disorder, not an addiction or primary hypersexual disorder. Diagnostic criteria require at least six months of intense, repetitive, and uncontrolled sexual impulses that cause significant distress or functional impairment, that are not merely moral or cultural distress.
Causes of Hypersexuality
The Mystery Behind Hypersexuality
Researchers haven’t pinpointed the exact cause of hypersexuality. It may be linked to a person’s mental and physical health.
Mental Health Conditions and Hypersexuality
Some risk factors may include living with another mental health condition, such as:
Bipolar Disorder
This mental health disorder causes extreme mood changes. These mood changes can lead to impulsive decision-making that may include risky sexual behavior.
Tumors and Injuries to the Frontal Lobe of the Brain
The frontal lobe helps control impulses and regulate social behavior. Any injury or damage to this area can impact judgment and decision-making, potentially leading to hypersexuality.
Substance Use
Alcohol and certain drugs can lower inhibitions and lead to impulsive behaviors, including hypersexuality.
Present or Past Eating Disorder
Individuals with eating disorders may engage in sexual activity to cope with their condition or seek validation from others. Hypersexuality can also emerge when trying to recover from an eating disorder.
Medications
Certain medications can impact sexual drive and behavior. In some cases, this can lead to hypersexuality.
Sexual Abuse History and Hypersexuality
A history of sexual abuse, particularly among females, may also contribute to hypersexuality.
Ready to take control and build the habits that serve you? Don't let another day pass feeling stuck in the same cycle. Overcomer gives you the proven tools, streak tracking, content filtering, and science-backed resources to break free and start seeing real progress. Join thousands who've already reclaimed their focus, confidence, and energy. Download Overcomer to quit porn today − receive 80% off with a 3-day free trial.
Related Reading
How to Reverse the Effects of Porn
6 Tips on How to Fix Hypersexuality
1. Use Overcomer to Avoid Sexual Content
Overcomer is a tool to help you quit porn by avoiding sexual content. This digital program gives you proven tools to help you overcome hypersexuality. With features like streak tracking, content filtering, and science-backed resources, Overcomer enables you to stop compulsive sexual behavior and regain control of your life. Join thousands who’ve already reclaimed their focus, confidence, and energy. Download Overcomer to quit porn today − receive 80% off with a 3-day free trial.
2. Follow the Plan Your Therapist Provides
Many struggling with sex addiction will seek the help of a professional mental health counselor or CSAT therapist. If you do, you must stick to the plan your therapist provides, making sure you attend each counseling session and keep up with your medications.
3. Seek Better Outlets
There are often several healthier ways to cope with trauma and unwanted feelings than compulsive sexual behavior. Seek out better outlets, like a new hobby to pursue or a community recreational sports league.
4. Participate in Support Groups
A support group allows you to connect with men or women who’ve experienced similar struggles. This helps you to find community, avoid loneliness, and learn from others. Your therapist will likely have some local or online support group recommendations.
5. Meditate and Exercise
Have you ever thought about taking a hike in the park to clear your head? Both meditation and exercise are healthier distractions from compulsive sexual triggers. Plus, they can increase your confidence, enhance your mood, and help alleviate symptoms of any mental health disorder.
6. Stay Focused on the Long-Term
Think about the long-term goals you’ve set with your therapist and keep these at the forefront of your mind when difficulties arise. Though you may encounter challenges (even setbacks), let your healthy, ideal future keep driving you forward.
Quit Porn Today − Receive 80% off with a 3-Day Free Trial.
Overcomer helps you quit porn and hypersexuality for good. Overcomer enables you to build the habits that serve you. With tools like streak tracking, content filtering, and science-backed resources, you can break free from hypersexuality and start seeing real progress. Join thousands who’ve already reclaimed their focus, confidence, and energy. Download Overcomer to quit porn today and receive 80 percent off with a three-day free trial.
