NCJ Number
243774
Journal
Sexual Addiction & Compulsivity Volume: 20 Issue: 1-2 Dated: January - June 2013 Pages: 27-47
Date Published
June 2013
Length
21 pages
Annotation
This article discusses hypersexual behavior.
Abstract
Hypersexual behavior has been documented within clinical and research settings over the past decade. Despite recent research on hypersexuality and its associated features, many questions remain around how best to define and classify hypersexual behavior. Diagnostic criteria for Hypersexual Disorder (HD) have been proposed for the DSM-5 and a preliminary field trial has lent some support to the reliability and validity of the HD diagnosis. However, debate exists with respect to the extent to which the disorder might be categorized as a non-substance or behavioral addiction. In this article, the authors will discuss this debate in the context of data citing similarities and differences among hypersexual disorder, drug addictions, and pathological gambling. The authors of this article conclude that despite many similarities between the features of hypersexual behavior and substance-related disorders, the research on HD at this time is in its infancy and much remains to be learned before definitively characterizing HD as an addiction. Abstract published by arrangement with Taylor and Francis.