The term “sexual anorexia” refers to the more or less complete rejection of sexual activities.
Just as anorexia nervosa can lead to refusal of food, sexual anorexia can lead to the loss of an important opportunity for pleasure, but also of a fundamental means to establish and maintain couple relationships and build an important part of one’s existence.
Although the disorder is not currently present in DSM V (the psychiatrists’ Bible!), The empirical data, the so-called clinical cases that come to the attention of psychotherapists or sexologists, indicate that the problem exists. In addition, more and more research, involving thousands of people in the United States, shows that about one in four women reported experiencing “forms of personal stress related to sex”, in others almost one in two would admit to “recognizing themselves in a situation of little desire “.
However, there is no real statistic that justifies the inclusion of the problem in the DSM V.
In any case, regardless of the nosographic classifications, it is interesting to understand what it is and how this type of discomfort can be addressed.
Symptoms
The main symptoms of so-called sexual anorexia consist of:
- lack of interest in sexual activities
- no erotic fantasy
- no response to partner’s sexual proposals
- little or no sexual satisfaction during intercourse
These symptoms usually have a very negative impact on the life of a couple and often people come to ask for help driven by the frustration of the partner or in a particularly difficult moment of the relationship.
The causes
To understand sexual anorexia it is important to investigate the personal history of the person who develops the symptoms, in order to identify the causes. Most of the research conducted in this area highlights among the possible etiological factors:
- lack of self-esteem
- conflicting relationships in the couple
- a case (or more cases) of sexual violence
- wrong educational approach (sex as a dangerous and unpleasant activity)
Treatment
In order to recover from sexual anorexia, it is essential to undertake a psychotherapeutic path, which leads the patient to deal with problems that go beyond sex, so as to be able to understand the causes that led to the development of the symptoms and to understand the meaning that this takes on in the life of the person.
It is also important to strengthen the ability to establish the connection with the other, which is the fundamental prerequisite for being able to live one’s sexuality freely and serenely
