Living with Compulsive Sexual Behavior

What is compulsive sexual behavior?

If your preoccupation with a need for sex overwhelms everything else in your life, you may have this disorder. It is classified as a mental illness, and it is very problematic because the need for sexual gratification interferes with every aspect of your life, which includes your relationships as well as your job and everything in between. For most of us, sexual expression is a normal part of life, but for some it becomes the main focus of life. Everything else gets in the way of his/her life. Other names for compulsive sexual behavior are: sexual addiction, nymphomania, hypersexuality, and erotomania.

What are the signs and symptoms of compulsive sexual behavior?

If you have little regard for your sexual partners, and only see them as a means of sexual gratification, you may have a problem. People with compulsive sexual behavior may have multiple sexual partners, or if they are married, they may have many affairs. There are many behaviors when excessive can be a clue there is a problem. Sometimes people use commercial phone lines for phone sex, or use the Internet for a similar purpose. People with this disorder may have such a need for stimulation that they engage in excessive sexual behavior that can include giving and receiving pain, feeling compelled to expose themselves in public, and other unhealthy behaviors.

There can be many problems associated with this disorder. You can run into great financial difficulties pursuing sexual gratification by engaging in phone sex, prostitution, and pornography. The danger of getting an STD is always present, as well as an unplanned pregnancy, when not engaging in safer sex practices.
People who have this disorder never seem to be fulfilled. They are acting out in an obsessive manner to seek long term satisfaction, but it never seems to happen for them. They don't like acting out. They know it is a problem, most times. It leads to a feeling of emptiness, depression and the overwhelming need to gratify causes severe stress and anxiety. A person suffering from this disorder can feel incredibly alone.