Porn Addiction: What Is a Porn Addiction?
Porn addiction in theory, when you can’t stop looking at porn, even if you want to. And the obsession gets to the point that it interferes with work, relationships, and other parts of daily life. Porn addiction has become a big problem nowadays due to widespread availability of internet porn with, especially after revolution of 4G. Porn is not only a mental health problem but also a social and cultural problem.
Why does Porn Addiction happen?
The World Health Organization WHO has added compulsive sexual behavior as a mental health disorder but it doesn’t single out pornography addiction. WHO says porn addiction means repetitive sexual activities getting an important focus of a person’s life to the point that they neglect their physical, mental health, personal care or other interests, activities, and responsibilities.
Brain scans of people with porn addiction shows similar brain activities shown in people with alcohol addiction or drug addiction. Research is going on to establish these biological findings to make porn addiction conclusive.
Porn Addiction Signs
Till the medical research is complete we can say whether it’s an addiction or not but those who consume porn regularly have urges or cravings for porn. Patients with porn addiction struggle at work and at home. Some researchers find that there’s a link between porn addiction and dissatisfaction with relationships.
Definitions about how much porn consumption required to make the diagnosis of porn addiction, is too much vary. But most researchers agree that if it is disturbing the day-to-day activities, one could be watching too much porn. For example, if:
Porn becomes an important part of one’s life. One stops doing things you really enjoyed previously. It means interest of one’s life has shifted to other pleasurable activities to porn. Patient starts ignoring other pleasurable activities to watch more porn.
Patient neglect personal care in the form of changed eating habits, altered sleep cycle pattern, unattended grooming.
Patient lose interest in other activities of interest and pleasure, which are healthy activities .
Patient becomes less interested in social gatherings and social interactions. So porn addiction damages your relationships in society and family also.
Patient tries to avoid or postpone other responsibilities. Sometimes patient is engrossed in porn addiction so he/ she doesn’t remember to fulfill other responsibilities.
Porn addiction starts affecting professional life also like job or schoolwork.
Sometimes patient start watching porn at inappropriate places like work office, public places, school.
Patient’s sex life may to become unfulfilling, unsatisfactory. This may cause disharmony in relationship with partner.
Patients of porn addiction have a craving or desire for porn.
Patient can’t stop watching porn, even when he/ she tries tries to quit porn addiction.
sometimes patient with porn addiction have guilt feelings for their habit of porn addiction.
Causes of Porn Addiction:
Because porn addiction is under research in the mental health field so it is difficult to find the clear set of causes.
An imbalance of neurochemical substances. Neurochemicals like dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine control mood. Imbalance of these neurochemical substances may cause porn addiction.
Mental health problems like impulse control disorder, OCD Obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression, anxiety, psychosis, bipolar disorder, substance abuse, epilepsy, dementia may cause porn addiction disease.
Factors that make porn addition more likely include:
- Ease of access due to internet porn.
- Family conflict
- A history of physical or sexual abuse
Porn Addiction Treatment:
Seek a Psychiatrist for medical management of porn addiction.
Psychotherapy:
Cognitive-behavioral therapy CBT
Psychodynamic psychotherapy
