This is how porn addiction harms mental health in various aspects of life.
Addiction to pornography is an increasingly widespread phenomenon in a society where, with access to the Internet, it is very easy to find sexually explicit material in a matter of seconds.
However, it is sometimes caricatured or misunderstood, overlooking the real damage that this problem causes in people who suffer from it. Therefore, in this article we will see how porn addiction affects mental health .“
What is porn addiction?
As its name indicates, addiction to pornography is a psychological problem based on dependence on the consumption of pornographic material , something that is currently done mainly through electronic devices with a screen and, to a lesser extent, magazines and plastic representations of the act. sexual.
Although its categorization as behavioral addiction is not yet fully accepted because there is no scientific consensus as to whether it is technically an addictive disorder (such as alcoholism or pathological gambling) or another type of psychopathology, it is considered an alteration that must be treated with psychotherapeutic support, since it has the capacity to damage the quality of life of the person who suffers from it.
How does porn addiction influence mental health?
These are, in broad strokes (since each case is unique), the different processes through which porn addiction gives rise to mental health problems.
- Interferes with self-esteem
As this alteration consolidates, the person learns to evaluate himself negatively because he is (at least partially) aware that performing these routines with pornography generates discomfort and isolates him. He assumes that an important part of his daily life is something linked to the feeling of shame and that it impoverishes his quality of life and stagnates his personal development.
- It can lead to feelings of guilt that persist over time
If the person who suffers from pornography addiction is in a relationship, the fact of channeling a good part of their sexual life in this way tends to make them feel guilty for not giving enough interest to the other person , even in those cases in which it has been agreed that resorting to pornographic material does not constitute infidelity.
- It gives rise to procrastination dynamics and a poor use of time in general
People with pornography addiction interrupt tasks or postpone them in order to masturbate using this kind of material to get excited. This makes it difficult for them to stick to schedules and responsibilities accumulate, something that generates stress.
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- Causes frustration and irritability in contexts where there is no access to porn
The fact of going “too” hours without using pornography causes discomfort, stress, the fact of being in a worse mood, etc. That is, dependency leads the person to need to go through sexual stimulation with pornography again and again if he wants to avoid short-term discomfort. And in turn, it is customary to alleviate any other type of discomfort through these routines , although the problem in principle has nothing to do with sexual desire.
- Leads to a lifestyle based on social isolation
The fact of needing to have pornography on hand and constantly requiring privacy makes these people less mottled to relate to others.
- Maybe you’re interested: “Unwanted loneliness: what is it and how can we combat it”
- It makes free time tend to disappear
The use of pornography overshadows everything else in the management of free time, so that the person is running out of hobbies and feels stuck, unable to learn if it is not by obligation.
- Gives rise to sexual dysfunctions
The threshold of sexual arousal of people who develop addiction to pornography tends to be raised , so that sexual dysfunctions usually appear in any other sexual activity that does not involve using the pornographic material of their choice at the time.
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At Advance Psychologists we work helping patients of all ages, families and couples, and we can assist you in person or online. We offer intervention in psychotherapy, sexology, neuropsychology, psychiatry and speech therapy.
