The American Psychiatric Association (APA) publishes and periodically updates the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), a widely recognized compendium of mental health diagnostics. None of the official diagnostic classification frameworks list "sexual addiction" as a distinct disorder.
rewarding stimuli – stimuli that the brain interprets as intrinsically positive and desirable or as something to approach.reinforcing stimuli – stimuli that increase the probability of repeating behaviors paired with them.psychological dependence – dependence that involves emotional–motivational withdrawal symptoms (e.g., dysphoria and anhedonia).physical dependence – dependence that involves persistent physical– somatic withdrawal symptoms (e.g., fatigue and delirium tremens).drug withdrawal – symptoms that occur upon cessation of repeated drug use.drug sensitization or reverse tolerance – the escalating effect of a drug resulting from repeated administration at a given dose.dependence – an adaptive state associated with a withdrawal syndrome upon cessation of repeated exposure to a stimulus (e.g., drug intake).addictive drug – psychoactive substances that with repeated use are associated with significantly higher rates of substance use disorders, due in large part to the drug's effect on brain reward systems.addiction – a biopsychosocial disorder characterized by persistent use of drugs (including alcohol) despite substantial harm and adverse consequences.1.6 Medical reviews and position statementsĬlassification Addiction and dependence glossary.CSBD is not considered as an addiction and WHO does not support a diagnosis of sex addiction. The ICD-11 created a new condition classification, compulsive sexual behavior disorder, to cover "a persistent pattern of failure to control intense, repetitive sexual impulses or urges resulting in repetitive sexual behaviour".
Some argue that applying such concepts to normal behaviors such as sex can be problematic, and suggest that applying medical models such as addiction to human sexuality can serve to pathologise normal behavior and cause harm. Animal research has established that compulsive sexual behavior arises from the same transcriptional and epigenetic mechanisms that mediate drug addiction in laboratory animals however, as of 2018, sexual addiction is not a clinical diagnosis in either the DSM or ICD medical classifications of diseases and medical disorders. There is considerable debate among psychiatrists, psychologists, sexologists, and other specialists whether compulsive sexual behavior constitutes an addiction, and therefore its classification and possible diagnosis. The concept of sexual addiction is contentious. Related or synonymous models of pathological sexual behavior include hypersexuality (nymphomania and satyriasis), erotomania, Don Juanism, and paraphilia-related disorders. The term sexual dependence is also used to refer to people who report being unable to control their sexual urges, behaviors, or thoughts. Proponents of a diagnostic model for sexual addiction consider it to be one of several sex-related disorders within hypersexual disorder. Sexual addiction, also known as sex addiction, is a state characterized by compulsive participation or engagement in sexual activity, particularly sexual intercourse, despite negative consequences.