People who believe that they may have a sexual addiction should start evaluating their behavior by taxing one of the sexual addiction tests that can be found online. The problem of sexual compulsivity is increasing everywhere, leading to a rise in the number of sex addictions. Current estimates state that 3-5% of the American population is addicted to sex and this number is expected to rise. The problem with these types of statistics is that the majority of sexual addiction cases remain untreated. This problem is closely liked to obsessive-compulsive disorder, or OCD, and may experts view an addiction to sex as a manifestation of OCD. The wide variety of symptoms makes it difficult to accurately diagnose the problem as individual cases can be very different. Similar to other psychological addictions, such as gambling, sexual addiction can invade all factors of a person’s life, damaging the financial, social, and health aspects. Most experts in sexual addiction identify the condition as a problem when the person realizes the negative side of the actions they are taking, but continue to engage in the behavior. This inability to control the sexual compulsion can be quite serious and a sexual addiction screening test should be completed to determine if the person is indeed addicted to sex.
The majority of sex addiction tests will be in interview form, asking the patient to answer many questions about their behavior. These questions will examine a patient’s thinking patterns as well as assess the manifestations of their thoughts. The tests will specifically try to identify problem behaviors that are commonly associated with sex addictions. Some of the more common symptoms of a person who is addicted to sex are as follows: excessive masturbation, chronic extramarital affairs, preference of one-night stands over relationships, spending an inordinate of time viewing pornographic materials, participating in phone sex or cybersex, hiring of prostitutes, unprotected or other dangerous sex acts, voyeurism, sexual harassment, obsessive sexual thoughts, stalking, or pronounced exhibitionism in inappropriate situations. The results of sex addiction tests are often indicators that a person is addicted to sex. The causes of sexual addiction can be very wide, but a large number of sex addicts state that the behavior stems from childhood abuse.
Because little is understood about compulsive behavior, the number of treatment options are few. Most patients who undergo treatment start with attending support groups or by seeking consultation with a trained professional. These treatment programs, such as Sexaholics Anonymous, try to help a patient understand the reasons behind the addiction and what steps need to be taken to counteract the issue. Many of the programs use a twelve-step program, similar to Alcoholics Anonymous. If a patient has taken a sexual addiction screening test and would like assistance with treatment, there are many organizations that can help. The Society for the Advancement of Sexual Health is one such group and has a prominent website to help sufferers find local options for helping treat the condition. Sexual addiction tests are an excellent place for someone who believes they may have an addiction to sex to begin identifying and treating the problem.