Passionate temperament or dependence that you can cope with only by contacting a specialist? Where is that feature, after which sexual appetite becomes indefatigable and causes harm to both the person himself and his partner?

“I love sex. Perhaps this is self -deception, but it seems to me that even after 33 years of marriage, my libido remained at about the same level as in his youth. I am quite happy that I love sex, I think it suits my wife, ”says a family psychotherapist with 30 years of experience Todd Crieger.

At the same time, he has extensive experience working with clients suffering from decreasing sex drive or pain due to loss of partner’s interest in them

. So there are advantages in increased libido, and you can’t write a person in sexually dependent only because he wants to make love much more often than a partner. Where then the boundary between the high libido and the dependence on sex passes?

How to recognize sexual dependence?

We are used to using this word about and without and because of this often do not understand how serious a real sexual dependence can be.

The disorder begins when excessive sexual activity makes a person make values and principles. For example, if he greatly appreciates health, but at the same time masturbates so often that chronically does not get enough sleep because of this, such behavior can be called dependence.

Another example: a man regularly watches pornographic materials and masturbates, having lost all interest in a partner. If relations with her are important for him, we can say that his behavior is similar to dependence. However, other options are possible: the fear of intimacy, the experienced psychological injuries, the fear of sexual failure – therefore it is important to conduct comprehensive diagnostics.

Features of dependence

The essence of the dependence is that the person who she suffers shows his sexuality so that this does harm either to himself or his loved ones. Another aspect is secrecy: some of those suffering from this disorder lead a secret double life, about which their permanent partner does not even suspect.

How it manifests itself

Dependent behavior can manifest itself in different ways: in excessive passion for pornography or sex champs, and in relations with strangers, and in marital treason. In any case, it is important to deal with the deep causes that make the dependent person behave like that.

The danger of addiction

Sexual dependence is able to destroy healthy relations with a partner, adversely affect physical health, and lead to financial and career collapse. She activates the same “reward centers” in the brain as alcohol and drugs.