What Compulsive Sexual Behavior Disorder Is-and What It Isn't

"Out-of-control sexual behaviors have existed throughout history, yet their official recognition only came much later. Some of the old terms you might have heard include satyriasis, nymphomania, and Don Juanism. In modern medicine, out-of-control sexual behaviors were proposed for inclusion in the DSM-5 as hypersexual disorder (Kafka, 2010). However, this proposal was ultimately rejected due to the lack of sufficient scientific evidence and other concerns (Kafka, 2014; Reid & Kafka, 2014)."

"But what exactly does CSBD cover? In brief, CSBD is a persistent pattern of failure to control intense, repetitive sexual impulses, urges, or behaviors, resulting in significant distress or impairment in daily life, such as neglecting one's health or needs. Importantly, when an individual's distress comes entirely from their moral judgements and disapproval of their sexual behaviors, it is not labeled CSBD (World Health Organization, 2022)-though of course, this can be an important issue in itself (Grubbs & Floyd, 2025)."

Out-of-control sexual behaviors have historical roots and were once labeled with terms like satyriasis, nymphomania, and Don Juanism. A proposed DSM-5 hypersexual disorder was rejected because of insufficient scientific evidence and related concerns. With accumulating empirical support, compulsive sexual behavior disorder (CSBD) was proposed for ICD-11 in 2019 and became an official diagnostic category in the 2022 ICD-11 release. CSBD is defined by persistent failure to control intense, repetitive sexual impulses or behaviors that cause significant distress or impair daily functioning. Distress solely from moral disapproval does not constitute CSBD, and CSBD is distinct from paraphilias though they may co-occur.

Read at Psychology Today