Hypersexual Disorder

This is a still a proposal diagnosis that attempts to define "sex addiction".

The American Psychiatry Association released this preliminary draft in 2010 and is still revising it.

Hypersexual disorder is a condition characterized by a period of at least six months, recurrent and intense sexual fantasies, sexual urges, and sexual behavior in association with four or more of the following five criteria:

• Excessive time is consumed by sexual fantasies and urges, and by planning for and engaging in sexual behavior.

• Repetitively engaging in these sexual fantasies, urges, and behavior in response to dysphoric mood states (e.g., anxiety, depression, boredom, irritability).

• Repetitively engaging in sexual fantasies, urges, and behavior in response to stressful life events.

• Repetitive but unsuccessful efforts to control or significantly reduce these sexual fantasies, urges, and behavior.

• Repetitively engaging in sexual behavior while disregarding the risk for physical or emotional harm to self or others.

There is clinically significant personal distress or impairment in social, occupational or other important areas of functioning associated with the frequency and intensity of these sexual fantasies, urges, and behavior.

These sexual fantasies, urges, and behavior are not due to direct physiological effects of exogenous substances (e.g., drugs of abuse or medications) or to Manic Episodes.

The person is at least 18 years of age.

Specify if:

Masturbation

Pornography

Sexual Behavior With Consenting Adults

Cybersex

Telephone sex

Strip clubs

Other

Diagnostic criteria from:

American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, fifth edition (DSM-5) - development. Retrieved on January 16, 2012, from: www.dsm5.org/ProposedRevisions/Pages/proposedrevision.aspx?rid=415