When you break your arm, you go to the hospital and get it treated. There is no shame or hesitation involved. You experience the injury/pain and go to get it treated accordingly; no one blinks an eye. When it comes to psychological disorders, however, the story is entirely different. When you have depression, anxiety, sex addiction, or any other psychological illness, it’s almost considered shameful. If you need sex addiction help and you go to seek the appropriate treatment, there should be no shame. People should be able to openly admit when they aren’t healthy and seek the appropriate treatment — whether it is physical or mental — without fear or added stress from society. It will take more than one blog to help change the stigma surrounding getting sex addiction help (and other mental disorders), but we at Neulia Compulsion Solutions hope this blog will help drive the movement forward.

The ICD-11 Classification of Sex Addiction

What is the ICD?

The ICD-11 (International Classification of Disease) is similar to the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) used by clinical psychologists for diagnostic purposes. They both categorize illnesses and disorders in one streamlined and efficient location. The difference, though, is that the ICD-11 is used by the World Health Organization for more than just mental disorders.

Why are we talking about the ICD?

In the 11th rendition of the ICD, a highly controversial addition was made. WHO (World Health Organization) added “compulsive sexual behavior disorder” as an impulse control disorder. In the ICD-11, sex addiction is described as a “persistent inability to control intense, repetitive sexual impulses or urges resulting in recurring sexual behavior.” This behavior persists over a 6 month period or more and negatively affects the individual in terms of family, social, education, or occupational areas.

What does this mean? Well, it’s a win for a couple of different groups.

A win for people who need sex addiction help.

First and foremost, having sex addiction legitimized as an impulse control disorder recognizes that it is, in fact, a real thing. As strange as that may sound, sex addiction is a pretty controversial topic in the psychological community. Many people, some psychologists included, don’t consider sex or porn addiction to be classified as a true addiction. They believe that including sex addiction opens the door for other “normal” behaviors to become classified as addictions as well. Having porn and sex addiction recognized by an authority as a disorder most certainly makes people with these disorders feel validated and less immoral or ostracized. This is a big step toward the goal of helping make psychological disorders something we as a culture can openly talk about and seek treatment for. All too often people who need sex addiction help and other serious disorders help won’t seek it because they are too ashamed or afraid of how society will see them.

If you need help with a porn or sex addiction, reach out to the experts here at Neulia Compulsion Solutions. We specialize in discrete and effective treatment for porn and sex addiction through video calls, phone calls, or Skype sessions.

A win for people who offer sex addiction help.

Having a sexual addiction recognized by the ICD-11 is also beneficial for those who provide addiction counseling that focuses on sexual compulsions. With the current structure of the healthcare system in the United States, if you do not have insurance, there is a good chance that you can’t afford to be treated for anything physical or mental. What many don’t know, though, is that even if you do have insurance and gather the courage to get help for your mental addiction, you still might be responsible for footing the bill. If what you are seeking treatment for is not considered a “real thing” in the professional community, you may be out of luck as far as insurance goes. That’s why having sex addiction classified by the ICD-11 as a real condition is such a big win for both people who need sex rehab and the professionals who offer it. The bottom line is: therapists can now bill insurance for porn and sex addict help. This makes it more likely that people with these disorders will find help now that they don’t have to pay out of pocket for it. Further, this makes it easier for therapists to do their jobs; they don’t have to worry about bankrupting their clients.

We as a culture are still a long way from anyone with a psychological disorder feeling able to freely and comfortably talk about their illness and get help. With sex addiction being included in the ICD-11, though, that’s big progress towards that future. If you or someone you love is being affected by a sex or porn disorder and are looking for discrete and effective relief, reach out to us at 925-932-0201 or contact us online here. Don’t let your sexual addiction ruin your life, get help today.