Sex addiction is a progressively growing phenomenon, both from diagnostical point of view – in constant updating in mental disorders manuals – and for the ever growing number of patients searching for an answer and a help from trained specialists to face the pathology. This is related to the easier and bigger availability of pornographic material for young people, thanks to the wide spreading of fast internet connection in rich countries.
Every person tries sex in his life and sexual behaviour produces one of the biggest spreading of dopamine, linked with the contemporary presence of adrenaline and endogen oppioids such as endorfines and dinorfines, that make sexual experience incomparable to most other usual experiences. According to the little scientific literature on the phenomenon, sex addiction comes out in late adolescence and rises with the growing of age, with a consequent both physical and psychic decline of the patient. Sex addicted people are often married with children, or they will to have, and well inserted in their communities. They feel a strong duplicity toward sexual pleasure: they feel a strong uncontrollable attraction and, after reaching the orgasm, they come throughout pain, confusion and bad mood. In order to make a sex addiction diagnosis, clinical interviews and specific tests are used as well. Sex addiction has peculiar characteristics and needs a specialistic help.