When you struggle with a sexual addiction, it can quickly take over your life. It’s possible that you never realized that there is a link between sexual addiction and many psychiatric conditions, but it’s definitely more common than you might think. Once you understand more about why you became addicted to sex, you’ll be able to recognize and understand what types of psychiatric conditions might be connected to your addiction, and even fanning the flame of the addiction. Then you will be able to address those as well.
Sex Addiction Recovery
Once you’ve been able to get some sobriety from your behaviors, you can start to learn more about why your addiction is such a powerful part of your life. Getting clean allows you to look at your addiction from a different angle, and as most sex addicts who have gotten treatment have discovered, it allows you to recognize how dangerous it is. Not only do you begin to understand why you became addicted to sex in the first place, but you also learn new coping methods for dealing with past traumas you’re facing or other challenges in your life.
Sobriety also allows you to refocus your efforts on understanding what the link is between certain psychiatric conditions and sex addiction. Let’s take a look at a few examples.
Narcissism and Sex Addiction
It’s not uncommon for some sex addicts to suffer with narcissism as well as their sex addiction at the same time. Experts actually believe that the two often go hand in hand because they tend to feed off each other. Narcissists give themselves permission to be above the rules that other people play by, which means they either set up new rules for themselves, or they have no rules at all because others should feel honored to be in their presence. As you can see, this way of thinking not only gives the sex addict the ability to escape the shame and embarrassment that go along with the addiction, but it also fuels the fire beneath it and spurs it on to continue. For these reasons, it’s essential for the individual who suffers from both to get treatment for both the sexual addiction and the narcissism disorder at the same time. Otherwise, the behavior is bound to continue.
Bipolar Disorder and Sex Addiction
Many people suffer with bipolar disorder, and when the stage of bipolar mania strikes, it leads to poor decisions, an increase in risk-taking behaviors and impulsive behaviors. An increase in sexual desire is often one of the results of bipolar mania as well, which can serve to fuel a sexual addiction. The behaviors that are exhibited during the manic phase will differ from person to person, of course. However, it’s important to remember that little thought is given to the amount of risk involved in the behavior, which can lead to extreme actions such as paying for prostitutes, having sex with multiple partners, or having an affair.
If you’re in need of sex addiction counselling and you suspect that an underlying psychiatric disorder might be linked with your sex addiction, I can help you find the freedom you’re looking for. Also, our New Beginnings Program is designed to help you address the issues you’re facing in your sex addiction. To make an appointment, please contact me.
