How is “Oversexed” and Sexual Addiction Different?

The definitive DSM-IV-TR, which is the latest version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders published by the American Psychiatric Association, does not recognize sexual addiction as a diagnosis. Conventional wisdom among therapists has long been that there is no such thing as a sex addict. I would prefer to refer to what is commonly called sexual addiction as a form of obsessive compulsive disorder and refer to it as sexual compulsivity, as a more accurate term.

The difference between somebody who is sexual compulsive and ‘oversexed’ is that the former cannot stop his behaviour, whilst the latter might have a higher sexual drive than ‘normal’ people. I question ‘normal’ because all human beings are born sexual and there is no limit placed on the frequency of sexual encounters humans can engage in. Just as there is no limit to a human being’s freedom of sexual expression. Also just because somebody has a higher sex drive, or libido, than others doesn’t necessarily mean he or she is engaged in any self harming behaviour and ought to be stopped.