The Neuroscience of Sex Addiction

For some people, persistent sexual desires, thoughts, and behavior can become problematic. Such individuals may become preoccupied with sexual fantasies and urges, and a subset will act on these impulses while feeling that they have no control over their actions repeatedly sending explicit texts and images, for example, or attempting to fondle others without consent. This pattern of behavior is often referred to as hypersexuality or sex addiction. There is wide debate over whether the problem stems from a lack of impulse control, a greater than average sex drive, some combination of the two, or a moral code that proscribes sexual activity. With no clear definition of sex addiction, or agreement on its validity as a diagnosis, it is impossible to say how many people are affected, but some literature reviews have estimated the prevalence as between 3 and 6 percent of adults. Tune in and learn more about this unofficial diagnosis