Key Takeaways
- Masturbation addiction is not an official clinical diagnosis, but it shares symptoms with behavioral addictions.
- Speaking to a healthcare professional can help identify and control urges related to excessive masturbation.
“Masturbation addiction” is a term sometimes used to describe a condition in which a person is unable to stop or suppress an urge to masturbate. It is not considered an addiction in the clinical sense of the word and does not appear in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5). The DSM-5 is the resource used by healthcare professionals to diagnose mental health disorders, including addictions.
Therefore, there is no way to diagnose someone with a masturbation addiction clinically. While masturbation addiction isn’t a clinical diagnosis, someone can suffer addiction-like symptoms (i.e., negative impacts on employment, relationships, etc.) if they masturbate excessively.
This article discusses the definition and characteristics associated with masturbation addiction, as well as resources and coping tips for those who deal with it.
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Defining Masturbation Addiction (or Compulsion)
Masturbation addiction, while not clinically recognized, could fall under several categories of mental health disorders, including:
That said, many people with the inability to resist the urge to masturbate feel similarly “addicted,” much like others with different types of behavioral addictions.
While masturbation addiction is not recognized as a clinical addiction by the DSM-5, the World Health Organization (WHO) has included compulsive sexual behavior in their 11th edition of the International Classification of Diseases. This means that it may soon be recognized as a mental health disorder.
Is Masturbation Addiction Similar to Alcohol or Drug Addiction?
Unlike alcoholism, current clinical guidelines do not classify masturbation as an addiction. A crucial difference is that alcohol is a substance addiction, and masturbation is a behavioral addiction. A person with alcoholism is affected by alcohol when not using it directly (i.e. they can have withdrawal symptoms because their body has become dependent on alcohol). On the other hand, masturbation is a behavior that a person with masturbation addiction struggles to control, therefore it is a behavioral addiciton.
Characteristics and Effects of Masturbation Addiction
Some typical characteristics are associated with masturbation addiction, such as:
- An inability to control intense and repetitive sexual urges
- Continuing to engage in compulsive masturbation at an excessive rate for six months or more
- Having difficulty functioning in daily life due to masturbation
People who have a masturbation addiction may spend much of their acting on their urges in a way that negatively impacts their professional and personal lives.
How to Stop Addictive Masturbation
Masturbation is a normal sexual act that can help create a healthy relationship with sex as well as uplift mood and reduce stress levels.
However, excessive masturbation can negatively impact someone’s life. Since there is no clinical diagnosis for masturbation addiction, it can be challenging to get a diagnosis and treatment plan. That said, it is often considered connected to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), which has viable therapies and diagnostic processes.
Speaking to a healthcare professional about the signs and traits you have concerning masturbation addiction is an excellent place to start to help you identify the urge as well as why it exists within you. Once they have helped you understand how to control these urges, you can seek more support and resources.
A Word From Verywell
Signs of masturbation addiction may include spending a large portion of the day thinking about masturbation, forgoing responsibilities to engage in this behavior, and experiencing emotional or physical distress when one feels the urge to masturbate but is unable to.
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Support and Resources
There is a lack of support and resources surrounding masturbation addiction because it is not yet recognized as an addiction. That said, there are resources available for compulsive disorders and behavioral addictions.
Resources that could help you overcome masturbation addiction include:
Other Ways to Find Support
Speaking to a sex therapist who specializes in compulsive sexual behaviors is a great way to find help for the addiction. You could also reach out to friends or loved ones. Talking openly about the compulsion is the first step to managing it.
Getting Help for Masturbation Addiction in Treatment
Since masturbation addiction does not yet have a clinical classification, there are no therapies designed to directly treat it.
However, therapies that are used for behavioral addiction, compulsive disorders, and other mood disorders that may be related to a masturbation addiction could be helpful.
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy (talk therapy) works by uncovering the underlying reasons for certain behaviors by allowing people to express what they’re going through in a nonjudgmental space. A therapist will work with you to determine the root cause of your compulsion and the steps to take to overcome it.
Medication
Research surrounding the use of medication for masturbation is scarce. Typically, medication isn’t used because excessive masturbation does not qualify as a typical addiction. That said, one case study examined the use of Lexapro or Cipralex (escitalopram) for compulsive masturbation.
In the case study, escitalopram—typically used to treat depression and anxiety—had a positive effect on masturbation addiction when used alongside talk therapy and other interventions.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a psychological intervention that reduces symptoms of mood disorders by helping people change the way they think and behave. In the case of masturbation addiction, it can help people identify triggers and develop new ways to cope with life’s challenges that don’t involve masturbation.
Support Groups and Group Therapy
Support groups and group therapy can be effective treatments for masturbation addiction. In group therapy, people share their experiences with others. This may help lessenthe shame some people may feel regarding their compulsion.
Getting Help
Since masturbation addiction isn’t directly referred to in the DSM-5, it can be difficult for people to seek out professional help. However, seeking professional help with the right approaches can help to address underlying health disorders that may contribute to it while helping to identify the triggers and new coping mechanisms to stop.
Causes, Risk Factors, and Triggers
No clear cause has been established regarding masturbation addiction. Behavioral addictions that are similar to masturbation addiction are often caused by or associated with the following risk factors:
- Trauma in early childhood
- Sexual abuse
- A lack of social support
- Family history of addiction or mental illness
- Brain chemical changes that reinforce the compulsive behavior, such as an increase in dopamine following a masturbation session
Triggers in Masturbation Addiction
Like other addictions and compulsive behaviors, one of the biggest triggers is stress. People with a masturbation addiction who experience high levels of stress are more likely to cope by masturbating. The act helps to lower stress levels, setting off reward centers in the brain, leading to more masturbation when a person becomes stressed again.
Coping Skills for Compulsive Masturbation
Aside from seeking out proper treatment, people can also establish coping skills to help overcome masturbation addiction. They include:
- Removing any triggers
- Reducing the time you spend alone
- Finding a stress management technique
- Replacing masturbation with another activity
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