Pornography addiction: symptoms, characteristics, and treatment.

These are the main characteristics of pornography addiction, and how to recognize it.

The problems that affect mental health evolve over time, just as the development of new technologies and ways of life also evolve as history progresses.

The emergence of pornography addiction, a psychological disorder that would have been impossible to conceive of centuries ago, is an example of this.

In this article we will see what pornography addiction consists ofWhat are its characteristics, and what can be done to overcome it.

What is pornography addiction?

As its name suggests, addiction to pornography is a psychological disorder characterized by. an excessive use of pornographic materials to satisfy the sexual appetitewhich becomes a dependency relationship with adult films, erotic photographs, etc.

However, it is still little studied, and the knowledge we have about it comes mainly from clinical practice in therapy by psychologists and psychiatrists. In fact, pornography addiction does not currently have its own section in the most widely used diagnostic manuals in the world of mental health, although it can be understood as a specific variety of psychological disorders that are conceptually delimited.

It is often understood that this phenomenon falls under the concept of sex addiction. within the concept of sex addiction, an umbrella term that groups together a whole series of dysfunctional behavioral patterns. based on dependence on the satisfaction of sexual impulses, and which is estimated to be present (to a greater or lesser extent) in 3% of adults in Western countries.

It has been shown that in people affected by compulsive sexual behavior, the areas of the brain that are activated by viewing pornography are almost the same as those activated by drug viewing by those who develop drug addictions: areas of the reward system of the brain and other associated structures, such as the anterior cingulate cortex and the amygdala.

However, it remains to be determined whether pornography addiction can be considered, technically, as just another behavioral addiction (such as pathological gambling, or pathological gambling addiction) or whether it is more appropriate to understand it as a disorder belonging to the obsessive-compulsive spectrum, such as OCD, excoriation disorder, etc.

• You may be interested in, "What are the reasons that predispose us to develop sex addiction?"

Symptoms

As we have seen, there is no very precise definition about the characteristics and symptoms characteristic of pornography addiction; however, as a general rule, the following forms of discomfort stand out:

• The consumption of pornography occupies too high a percentage of free time.
• Satisfaction of the desire to view pornography interferes with work and/or a healthy social life.
• The fact of constantly consuming pornography or anticipating its consumption damages any relationships one may have.
• The lifestyle associated with this disorder involves spending too much money on erotic or pornographic material.
• Difficulties in concentrating appear when one has not consumed pornography for too long.
• An irritable state of mind emerges when frustrated by hours of not watching pornography.

All the ways in which pornography addiction takes shape reflect dysfunctional patterns of behavior and thinking. On the one hand, the tendency to think too often about pornographic materials and the sexual activity associated with them.. On the other hand, difficulties in focusing on other aspects of life and giving them the attention they deserve.

How is it treated in therapy?

Pornography addiction can be overcome through a process of psychotherapy. In this, we work to help the person cope with intrusive thoughts linked to sex and with the pessimistic perception of oneself (as they act as a "trap" that makes it easier to relapse) and to develop habits capable of providing more and better sources of motivation and intellectual and emotional stimulation beyond sex.

In any case, each therapy program is always adapted to the characteristics of each patient, and to his or her way of life.and their way of life.

Are you looking for psychotherapy services?

If you are interested in starting a psychological treatment process for pornography addiction or for any other similar disorder, please contact us. At PsicoConsulting we have been working for years with problems of this type, and we attend both in person in Barcelona and through online sessions.

Bibliographical references:

• American Psychiatric Association (APA). (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing.
• Kafka, M.P. (2001). The paraphilia-related disorders: A proposal for a unified classification of nonparaphilic hypersexuality disorders. Sexual Addiction & Compulsivity, 8(3-4):227-239.
• Karila L.; Wéry A.; Weinstein A.; Cottencin O.; Petit A.; Reynaud M, Billieux J (2014). Sexual addiction or hypersexual disorder: different terms for the same problem? A review of the literature. Current Pharmaceutical Design, 20(25): pp. 4012 - 4020.
• Voon, V. et.al. (2014). Neural Correlates of Sexual Cue Reactivity in Individuals with and without Compulsive Sexual Behaviours. PLoS One, 9(7): e102419 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0102419