Sexual function and awareness occupies an intimate part of each person's life. As MayoClinic.com notes, though, it becomes a problem when a person experiences continual obsession with sex to the point of risking employment, marriage, friendships and the person's own health. This type of addiction needs therapeutic intervention from a doctor to ensure the person receives treatment for the illness.
Mental Health Conditions
People with an addiction to sex may develop serious mental health problems such as anxiety, stress and depression, MayoClinic.com reports. The person will complain that he doesn't want to engage in normal everyday activities and complains he has difficulty so. His only interests may include sexually oriented topics and he may appear anxious in everyday typical conversations outside of sex as a topic.
Sexually Transmitted Disease
Sexual addicts typically have many sexual partners, which means they open themselves to sexually transmitted diseases such as gonorrhea, syphilis, hepatitis and human immunodeficiency virus from having several partners involved. Diseases spread more rapidly by increasing the number of partners transmitting the diseases, MayoClinic.com indicates.
Financial Problems
Accumulated financial debts occur because of the activity with sex products such as pornography and the toys that are involved with sexual activity. These types of bills will add up, especially phone calls to porn sites and purchased visual pictures on the web. Prostitution, a high-cost illicit service, can also play a part in the illness.
Drugs and Alcohol
The person addicted to sex may find their addictive behavior leads them to other addictions such as those to alcohol or illicit drugs. Taking drugs and alcohol can show another side of the addiction because it reveals out of control behavior. It needs therapeutic measures such as counseling and possibly an admission to a psychiatric unit. Self-medicating with alcohol and drugs also may indicate that an underlying mental illness exists.
Lying
Lying to family members occurs as the person attempts to hide the problem. He will act as if he doesn't know who uses the porn sites in the home and will deny any relationship to porn. He will ask his friends to cover up for him as he continues to have many relationships sexually outside of the home.
Legal Problems
Police may arrest the sex addict for offenses involving explicit sexual advances toward others. This may classify the person as a sexual offender if proven in court. The sex addict who makes explicit advances upon people who do not want them commits a crime in doing so, often called sexual harassment. If the addict acts upon the sexual impulses with someone who does not want to participate, the result will include charges of sexual assault or rape.
Unwanted Pregnancy
Sexual addiction in women can lead to unwanted pregnancies, which can affect not only the addict's life, but that of unborn, unwanted children. The addiction has spun out of control when sex becomes more important than preventing pregnancy from continual sex.
