Sexual energy is the driving force of humanity. This was the opinion of Dr. Freud and Indian yogi. However, many psychologists say that there is too much sex around.
Music videos are saturated with eroticism, sexuality is widely exploited in commercials. Mass culture places sex not only at the forefront, but even in the center of the universe. Thus sex and the driving force of libido turns into obsession. By the way, alternative art offers a different approach – just think of a pretty tragic Shame movie by Steve McQueen that is dedicated to a chronic sexoholic.
The problem is that it is difficult to determine when exactly sex turns from a healthy demand into a disorder. However, the experts from the University of California tried to do it. They argue that sex addiction should be added to the list of mental disorders.
The latest issue of the Journal of Sexual Medicine informs about the evaluation criteria of sexual addiction suggested by Rory Reid, associate professor at the Institute of Neuroscience and Human Behavior. He believes that compulsive sexual fantasies, lust and defiant behavior are the main alarm signals, the appearance of which is impossible to control, and that last from six months or more. Other symptoms include the inability to reject a sexual intercourse, the use of sex as a way to elevate one’s mood or cope with stress.
The study, which involved 207 patients with the diagnosis of “sex addiction”, showed that the above mentioned symptoms were present in most patients. Sexoholics are often severely affected by their addiction: it is difficult for them to build a strong relationship, their habits lead to problems at work, and they have an increased risk of sexually transmitted diseases.
