Did you know that people with porn addiction spend 12 hours per week viewing pornographic content? However, the prevalence of porn addiction in our society is challenging to determine as there is a lack of formal evidence and authenticity of subjects.
However, porn addiction affects about 5-8% of adults. Porn addiction is the need of an individual to watch pornographic content. It causes intense cravings and impulsivity, affecting a person’s personal and professional life.
Some health institutions consider porn addiction a subtype of hypersexual disorder, while many doctors refuse to recognize it as a real disorder affecting many people.
Although the diagnosis and recognition of porn addiction are not official by the American Psychiatric Association, it is a common behavior in adults and requires identification and treatment. Many people are turning to porn addiction apps to track and manage their behavior, providing tools to help mitigate urges and track progress over time.
How to Identify Porn Addiction?
Diagnosing porn addiction is controversial, and many therapists refuse to acknowledge it. Many counselors believe that consuming pornographic content itself is not unhealthy or problematic. But if it interferes with a person’s personal and professional life, they must look for signs of an addiction.
Here are some of the problems caused by excessive consumption of pornographic content.
- An individual’s sex life becomes less satisfying
- People engage in risky behavior
- An individual may stay isolated
- Increased aggression
- Distorted beliefs about sexuality and relationships
- Poor self-esteem
Signs to Identify Porn Addiction
Here are some signs indicating that a person has a porn addiction.
- Ignoring responsibilities to view porn
- Making time to consume pornographic content
- Viewing more extreme pornography with time
- Feeling more frustrated after viewing porn
- Feeling ashamed or guilty
- Wanting to stop using pornography but being unable to do so
- Using pornography as a distraction to cope with life problems
- Losing sex drive
Causes of Porn Addiction
There are several factors involved in the progression of porn addiction. These include some degree of domestic violence, sexual abuse, or family dysfunction.
According to research, about 70% of porn addicts have experienced childhood physical abuse, while 80% experienced sexual abuse. But porn addiction can also stem from various other reasons.
As porn addiction is controversial, researchers have yet to identify typical causes. However, some interconnected causes include psychological, cultural, biological, and environmental factors.
Experts argue that porn addiction is a complex issue that stems from a range of causes. These causes are the following.
- Unhealthy cultural norms that people are supposed to follow a specific pattern in life. People who discover different sexualities, norms, and ideas through porn stay fixated on watching porn.
- Underlying mental health conditions. For example, multiple studies have indicated that psychological mood disorders or anxiety can trigger porn fixation.
- Porn is an outlet for sexual dissatisfaction amongst many people.
- Biological factors such as a change in brain chemistry increase porn addiction.
Treating Porn Addiction
Porn addiction is a debilitating problem requiring treatment as excessive viewing causes various problems associated with personal life. In addition, this controversial disorder also interferes with a person’s ability to function properly.
Fortunately, several types of treatments are available for people struggling with porn addiction.
Since porn addiction stems from relationship problems, mood disorders, or sexual shame, people can resolve these underlying issues to treat porn addiction.
But they need to consult a healthcare professional who understands these problems and helps manage them effectively. So here are some treatment strategies for porn addiction.
Psychotherapy
If you think you have a compulsive need to watch porn, you must consult a mental health professional to identify the core factor causing the issue. For example, if your constant need to watch porn stems from boredom or exhaustion, a therapist can help you stay engaged in another activity.
You must remember that the first step towards treatment is recognition.
Psychotherapy can help you recognize your unhealthy relationship with porn and unmet sexual desires. In addition, this strategy helps you develop a treatment plan and teaches you how to cope with psychological distress.
If you have depression, anxiety, or obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms, you should openly talk about it to your therapist.
However, a variety of psychotherapists “claim” to specialize in diagnosing and treating porn addiction. But this is not a professionally recognized disorder.
Porn addiction lacks a definite diagnostic criterion. Therefore you must only seek professional help from counselors who help you understand the reason behind your compulsion to help develop an effective coping strategy to change your relationship with porn-related content.
Relationship Counseling
Relationship counseling is another effective treatment strategy to help you cope with porn addiction and associated problems.
If porn addiction affects your relationships, couples counseling will help you and your partner discuss your values. It also helps you recognize the role of porn addiction in your life and how it affects your relationship.
Medication
Sometimes people use pornography to cope with other underlying conditions. Medications can help treat these underlying conditions.
For example, treatment for behavioral addiction can help you cope with porn addiction. Similarly, if porn addiction stems from a co-occurring disorder such as OCD or depression, a medicine-assisted treatment can help resolve the issue.
Medicine-assisted treatment involves the use of FDA-approved prescription medicines. This treatment is used in combination with therapy as it helps treat underlying conditions and tackles the problem of porn addiction.
Lifestyle Changes
Some people consume pornographic content out of exhaustion or boredom. However, making vital lifestyle changes such as finding productive hobbies or spending fewer hours in front of the screen may help tackle porn addiction.
What if Porn Addiction Is Left Untreated?
If porn addiction is left untreated, compulsive behavior can interfere with many aspects of your personal life, including romance and relationships.
Your sexual relationships can be negatively impacted by porn addiction as it leads to lower sexual satisfaction and low self-esteem.
Untreated porn addiction can also make you neglect your responsibilities and risk violating discipline if you view porn at work.
Key Takeaway
Viewing excessive porn can negatively impact your life. Porn addiction may not be recognized as an official disorder, but it affects a huge number of people. Therefore, it is vital to identify the signs of porn addiction and devise a treatment strategy before porn addiction starts impacting your relationships and work life.
