Should Hypersexual Disorder be Classified as an Addiction?

Abstract

Hypersexual behavior has been documented within clinical and research settings over the past decade. Despite recent research on hypersexuality and its associated features, many questions remain around how best to define and classify hypersexual behavior. Diagnostic criteria for Hypersexual Disorder (HD) have been proposed for the DSM-5 and a preliminary field trial has lent some support to the reliability and validity of the HD diagnosis. However, debate exists with respect to the extent to which the disorder might be categorized as a non-substance or behavioral addiction. In this article, we will discuss this debate in the context of data citing similarities and differences among hypersexual disorder, drug addictions, and pathological gambling. The authors of this article conclude that despite many similarities between the features of hypersexual behavior and substance-related disorders, the research on HD at this time is in its infancy and much remains to be learned before definitively characterizing HD as an addiction.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Support was provided by the National Institutes of Health grant P20-DA027844, the Connecticut Mental Health Center, the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, and a Center of Excellence in Gambling Research Grant from the National Center for Responsible Gaming. The contents of the manuscript are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the National Center for Responsible Gaming or any of the other funding agencies.