Characteristics of 36 subjects reporting compulsive sexual behavior.
OBJECTIVE
The authors describe the sociodemographic features, phenomenology, and psychiatric comorbidity of 36 subjects reporting compulsive sexual behavior.


METHODS
Twenty-eight men and eight women who responded to advertisements for "persons ... who have a problem with compulsive sexual behavior" completed structured and semistructured assessments, including the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for DSM-III-R disorders (axis I) and the Structured Interview for DSM-III-R Personality Disorders, Revised (axis II).


RESULTS
The typical subject was a 27-year-old man who reported experiencing compulsive sexual behavior for nearly 9 years. Sexual behavior was described as excessive and poorly controlled and was associated with either subjective distress or impairment in interpersonal or occupational functioning or as overly time-consuming. Fourteen subjects (39%) reported a history of major depression or dysthymia, 15 (42%) a history of phobic disorder, and 23 (64%) a history of substance use disorder. Personality disorders were quite frequent, particularly the paranoid, histrionic, obsessive-compulsive, and passive-aggressive subtypes. The compulsive sexual behavior was quite varied and included both paraphilic (e.g., cross-dressing) and nonparaphilic (e.g., compulsive masturbation) types.


CONCLUSIONS
Compulsive sexual behavior may be a clinically useful concept, but it describes a heterogeneous group of individuals with substantial psychiatric comorbidity and diverse behavioral problems.
Black
D W
DW
Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City 52242-1000, USA.
Kehrberg
L L
LL
Flumerfelt
D L
DL
Schlosser
S S
SS
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016739:Behavior, Addictive / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D015897:Comorbidity; D003192:Compulsive Behavior / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006716:Homosexuality / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008418:Masturbation; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D010262:Paraphilic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012737:Sex Factors; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D012747:Sexual Partners / Q000523:psychology; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology