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4 Truths For Teens Fighting Sexual Addiction
Sex Addiction | A-Z Teen Health Glossary | Newport Academy
Researchers believe that when adolescent females engage in sexual activity, especially when they are addicted to sex, they have two different types of thoughts. One is a myriad of different thoughts going through their mind at the same time, distracting them from the acts that they take part in. The second thought process is complete blankness or numbness, which is indicative of the trauma or abuse they have endured. We offer a sexual reactivity therapy program for adolescent teens experiencing such sexual behavior issues. An addiction to sex causes teenage girls to lose control of their urges and engage in compulsive sexual behavior. They are always on the lookout for the next high, and over time they need more and more extreme activities to achieve that high.
Defining Teen Sex Addiction
This is the standardized text and clinical reference used by psychologists and therapists across North America to diagnose their clients. According to the American Psychological Association, there is evidence that points to behaviors, such as gambling, having the same high, or rush in the brain, which is similar to the use of drugs. In that way, addictions can resemble the physiological symptoms that the use of drugs and alcohol might create. According to Steve Sussman of the University of Southern California at Alhambra , an addiction to sex is a pattern of sexual behavior that is initially pleasurable but becomes unfulfilling, self-destructive, and that a person is unable to stop. Along with this is the experience of sexual compulsivity, which is the repetitive sexual behavior attempted to achieve a desired psychological state that results in negative consequences for the sexually addicted teen.
For many teens, increasing sexual desires are a part of life. They begin dating, explore their bodies and for some, encounter their first sexual experience. This is all a very normal part of growing up. But, when does normal sexual desires turn into sexual addiction? When does it become out of control?