Sex Addiction - Causes

Causes

Studies have revealed that the majority of sex addicts (87%) come from severely dysfunctional families with at least one other family member suffering from some form of addiction.


Inconsistent or insufficient parental nurturing as a child inflicts a sense of parental betrayal. The child soon learns that intimacy brings pain and learns to withdraw emotionally. Sex, to these individuals, ushers in a sense of security and eventually leads to addiction.

Some of the other causes of sex addiction are -

• Early sexualization or early initiation to sex by sights, sounds or touch(es)
• Childhood abuse is a key contributor to adult sex addiction. Research reveals that as a child 71% of sex addicts have been physically abused, 83% have been sexually abused, 97% have been emotionally. Some children are less impacted by abuse primarily due to their inherent personality and also due to adequate adult support.
• Stress causes some people to use sex as a mode of escape.
• There are reports of a propensity for people with other forms of addiction such as alcoholism, gambling or drugs to gradually become addicted to sex as well.

• Sexual Addiction can sometimes be due to other Psychiatric Disorders such as Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), Narcissistic personality disorder, and Bipolar disoder.
• In some cases, neurological disorders such as epilepsy, head injury and dementia can lead to sex addiction
• Sexual addiction can be a result of biochemical imbalance in the brain.
• Some drugs such as apomorphine and dopamine are found to lead to hyper sexuality.

Cite this Article ⇣⇡

Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:

• APA

  Dr. Reeja Tharu. (2021, July 28). Sex Addiction - Causes. Medindia. Retrieved on Dec 22, 2024 from https://www.medindia.net/health/conditions/sex-addiction-causes.htm.

• MLA

  Dr. Reeja Tharu. "Sex Addiction - Causes". Medindia. Dec 22, 2024. <https://www.medindia.net/health/conditions/sex-addiction-causes.htm>.

• Chicago

  Dr. Reeja Tharu. "Sex Addiction - Causes". Medindia. https://www.medindia.net/health/conditions/sex-addiction-causes.htm. (accessed Dec 22, 2024).

• Harvard

  Dr. Reeja Tharu. 2021. Sex Addiction - Causes. Medindia, viewed Dec 22, 2024, https://www.medindia.net/health/conditions/sex-addiction-causes.htm.