So, is it really an addiction? That’s the burning question many have regarding pornography. While the official book of diagnoses, the DSM, does not include porn addiction today, many professionals are urging to have it added. Although an actual diagnosis isn’t required for treatment, it does come with many benefits. For example, it opens the door to insurance coverage and more access to funding for research. Regardless, however, there are still specific criteria that CSATs use to help identify and treat porn addiction.
If you have a porn addiction, you’re not likely the one questioning the reality of it. After all, you understand the intensity of triggers that continue to drive you back to the content you’re desperately trying to avoid. The vicious cycle is exhausting as relapse continues to knock at your door.
Help is available. You do not have to suffer in silence or secrecy. Let’s talk more about the components of porn addiction that separate it from what may have started as an enjoyable pastime.
Breakthroughs in the World of Porn Addiction
The DSM outlines all the categories of mental health disorders. In the DSM, you’ll find specific criteria outlined for the purpose of diagnosing mental health issues. It also regulates consistency in treatment, research, and education. However, you won’t find porn or sex addiction in the book.
The reasons for this vary from one debate to another. For example, some argue that the role of society or culture can impact defining the diagnosis or what is considered excessive. Take religion; some teach pornography is evil, destructive, and immoral. As a result, some professionals feel a moral conflict from within drives the behaviors. Likewise, some argue the behaviors of excessive pornography use are a direct result of deeper issues such as anxiety, depression, or lack of impulse control. As such, regardless of a porn addiction diagnosis, therapy to address the root of the problem could be both beneficial and sufficient.
The list of differing perspectives continues. However, in 2018, the World Health Organization added compulsive sexual behavior (aka sex addiction) as a mental health disorder. (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) Although it doesn’t list porn addiction, it does allude to the reality that repetitive sexual activities can become a destructive priority of one’s life. For many, WHO’s addition to the ICP-11 brings hope that it will lead to more research and concrete evidence.
Without clear scientific evidence, the absence of porn addiction as a diagnosis in the DSM remains a heavily discussed topic. In the meantime, let’s identify the more apparent signs of porn addiction.
More Apparent Signs of Porn Addiction
Regardless of whether porn addiction has an actual diagnosis, most can agree on a key point. When issues interfere with your everyday life, it’s worth addressing them.
There are specific criteria or symptoms that can help identify porn addiction. Do you experience or relate to the following:
– The amount of pornography you view impacts or interferes with other areas of your life, such as relationships, work, or school.
– You view content despite the consequences you may face.
– After you view content, you feel shame, remorse, guilt, or depression.
– Your efforts to stop viewing porn fall short as you feel compelled to respond to urges
– You feel driven to view content even when you don’t want to. Needing to view more ‘hard core’ content to experience the same result.
– Loved ones are voicing their concern about your porn use (or perhaps time spent alone if they don’t know).
– You feel irritable or angry if you can’t respond to an urge to view content.
– You spend time thinking about, fantasizing, or planning when you can view more content.
– You lose track of the amount of time you spend watching pornography.
– There is a lot of secrecy, deception, and lying surrounding your use.
– If you could stop viewing pornography, would you?
This isn’t an all-encompassing list of criteria. However, if you feel pornography is interfering with areas of your life, what would be the harm in reaching out for help?
At Fort Worth Counseling and Intervention, we specialize in porn addiction treatment. Whether you have a porn addiction or need help regaining balance in areas of life, we’d love to see how we can help.
Reaching and maintaining porn addiction recovery is possible. Contact us today to learn more.
