Compulsive Masturbation: Causes, Signs, and How to Deal with It

Masturbation is totally normal and a part of human sexuality. It’s something most people do at some point in their lives. It’s a way to explore our own body and release tension. But, like most things in life, excess of everything is bad. When masturbation becomes excessive and starts to interfere with your daily life, relationships, or responsibilities- it might be a sign of compulsive masturbation.

In this blog, let’s find out what compulsive masturbation is, what causes it, and how to deal with it in a healthier way.

What Is Compulsive Masturbation?

The truth is, there is nothing unhealthy or bad about masturbation. If a person is single or their partner is not there with them or there is a sexual desire mismatch between the couple, there is nothing wrong if they release their sexual energy through self-pleasuring or masturbation. Even married men and married women masturbate.

It is good for your health, emotionally, mentally, and physically. There are many benefits to masturbation such as better sleep, stress relief, less muscle tension, and even can improve your self-esteem.

However, what we are going to talk about is how excessive masturbation can be unhealthy. Of course, there isn’t a number limit for you to know if you have been masturbating excessively. But, it can be considered “too much” if it disrupts your daily life — affect your responsibilities, causes mental frustration, results in interpersonal concerns within a relationship, causes physical soreness or disrupts your erectile function.

Compulsive masturbation, also known as hypersexuality or excessive masturbation. This isn’t just about doing it too much- it’s when you are unable to stop even when it’s causing problems. It’s just like any other compulsion: it’s not about pleasure anymore but a body’s response to emotional triggers, like boredom, stress, loneliness, or anxiety. It can show up as:

• Missing work or school
• Neglecting responsibilities
• Feeling guilty or ashamed but still unable to stop
• Breaking relationships

How Compulsive Masturbation Can Affect You

Compulsive masturbation might seem normal at first, but when it gets out of control, it can mess with your life in many ways. Here’s how:

Physical Effects

• Overdoing it can cause irritation or even pain.
• The constant release makes you feel drained and low on energy all the time.
• Excessive stimulation affects your satisfaction over time.

Emotional and Mental Effects

• You start feeling bad about your behaviour and it can take a toll on your self-esteem.
• You might have started it to relieve some stress but can actually add to your anxiety.
• You might have a hard time focusing on anything else because of constant urges.

Social and Relationship Issues

• You slowly start to isolate and disconnect from the world.
• It might bring some distance from your partner.
• You start skipping social events, work, or hobbies with time.

Impact on Productivity

• Then this starts to interfere with your job, studies, or household tasks.
• You might lose time and motivation which causes guilt at the end.

Addiction-Like Behaviors

• You constantly try to look for some dopamine hit, similar to other addictive behaviors.
• You find it hard to stop when you’re bored or stressed.

Long-Term Concerns

• The more you start to do it, the harder it becomes to regain control.
• You feel emotionally numb or detached because of over-reliance on this.

If any of these sound familiar, don’t panic- there’s always help out there. 

What Causes Compulsive Masturbation?

Compulsive behaviours usually don’t show up out of thin air. Here are some common reasons why someone might get this habit:

1. Mental Health Issues:
   • Anxiety, depression, or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) can make people find comfort or distraction through masturbation.
   • Trauma or past experiences may also add to it.
2. Dopamine Addiction:
   • Masturbation releases feel-good chemicals (dopamine) in the brain. Over time, some people might get addicted to that rush and keep going back to it.
3. Loneliness or Isolation:
   • When people feel disconnected or lonely, they may masturbate as a form of self-soothing.
4. Uncontrolled Access to Porn:
   • Constantly watching porn can bring these compulsive behaviours to the surface and it becomes a substitute for real-life intimacy.
5. Underlying Medical Issues:
   • Hormonal imbalances or conditions like hypersexuality disorders may become a helping hand to the compulsion.

Signs and Symptoms of Compulsive Masturbation

How do you know if you or someone you know is dealing with compulsive masturbation? Here are some signs to watch for:

• You get the need to masturbate multiple times a day, even when the time is inappropriate.
• You often skip work, school, or any social commitments to masturbate.
• You get soreness, irritation, or other physical discomfort from overdoing it.
• You feel guilt, shame, or frustration but are still unable to stop.
• You choose masturbation over spending time with your partner.
• You are unable to resist the compulsion even in situations where it could cause embarrassment or problems.

Do these symptoms sound familiar? Don’t worry- Allo Health has helped more than 75,000 patients with sexual wellness concerns. Our personalised treatment plan gives a high success rate in improving sexual function and the overall health of our patients. Book an online consultation with one of Allo’s leading experts at just 199/-.

How Is It Diagnosed?

Compulsive masturbation isn’t a formal medical diagnosis, but it can fall under the category of compulsive sexual behaviour or impulse control disorders. If you are currently going through it, a healthcare professional like a therapist, psychologist, or psychiatrist (it would be better to choose a sexual health specialist) can help.

A diagnosis involves:

• The therapist starts by asking questions about how many times a day you masturbate and the impact of your behaviour on your life.
• Then you’ll be asked about your mental and emotional health to rule out any underlying conditions like anxiety, depression, or OCD.
• The therapist will try to understand your experiences, triggers, and emotional state through these questions.

Treatments and Solutions

1. Therapy:
   • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): It helps to confirm and change the thought patterns which are the reasons for compulsive behaviour.
   • Sex Therapy: Here you will learn many new ways to have healthier relationships with your sexual desires.
   • Group Therapy: Support groups like Sex Addicts Anonymous (SAA) give a safe space to share and learn from others.
2. Medication:
   • In some cases, antidepressants or other medications might be prescribed by your doctor to manage some underlying issues like depression or anxiety (if they are one of your causes).
3. Lifestyle Changes:
   • Engage yourself with hobbies, work, or social activities to distract yourself from urges.
   • Try mindfulness and meditation to manage stress and stay in the present.
4. Know Your Triggers:
   • If pornography or certain environments are triggering your compulsive habits, start using content blockers or avoid those spaces for the starter.
5. Regularly Exercise:
   • Exercise can help release pent-up energy and boost your mood in a healthy way.

How Can Therapy Help With This?

Therapy can be incredibly helpful to cope with compulsive masturbation. It gives a structured, supportive, and judgment-free space to find out all the causes of your behaviour and teaches healthier coping mechanisms. Here’s how therapy can help:

1. Therapists will work with you to find out why compulsive masturbation has become a problem. Often, it’s linked to underlying issues like:

• Stress or anxiety
• Past trauma
• Low self-esteem
• Loneliness or feelings of isolation
• Addiction to pornography

When you get to know your triggers, you can start to treat the core issues rather than just the symptoms.

2. CBT is a proven method that helps to break unhealthy habits. It helps you:

• Know your negative thought patterns that are causing the compulsive behaviour (like: I need this to feel better).
• Replace them with healthier ways of thinking.
• This will bring self-awareness to stop the urge-behavior-regret cycle.

3. Therapists help you use some tools to control urges and avoid compulsive behaviour, such as:

• Delaying gratification: Here you learn how to sit with the urge and let it pass.
• Distraction techniques: You will get to know other alternatives like exercise, hobbies, or socialising to distract yourself.
• Setting boundaries: You will learn how to build your own limits by avoiding situations or triggers that lead you to this behaviour in the past.

4. Therapy can teach you to sit with your strong emotions by journaling, meditating, or talking about your emotions rather than bottling them up.
5. If compulsive masturbation is affecting your relationships, therapy can help:

• Rebuild intimacy with your partner.
• Help you talk about your needs and concerns with your partner.
• Work through your feelings of guilt or shame together.

 Book your first online therapy session with Allo Health at just 199/-.

Prevention and Lifestyle Changes

If you’re not going through compulsive masturbation yourself but want to be careful, here are some tips:

• Be mindful of how often you masturbate and why. If it’s becoming a crutch for your emotional issues, find the real reason cause instead and work on it.
• Spend time with your friends, family and romantic partner to keep the connections and not feel lonely.
• When you engage yourself with hobbies, work, and fitness, there will be less room for unhealthy habits.
• If you see the signs of compulsive behaviour, don’t wait to talk to someone about it.

Key Takeaway

• Compulsive masturbation is often considered a manifestation of Compulsive Sexual Behavior Disorder (CSBD), a condition known for the inability to control your sexual urges. These behaviours might interfere with your daily life and cause distress. It’s important to know how to differentiate between healthy sexual activity and behaviours that are problematic.
• Compulsive masturbation can feel like a lot is going on, but it’s important to remember that help is out there. You’re not alone, and there’s no shame to get support. With the right therapy and lifestyle changes, it’s possible to get your control back and live a fulfilling life.
• A 2023 research evaluated the efficacy of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) in treating CSBD. The results suggested that CBT is quite promising.
• If this resonates with you or someone you know, start by talking to a trusted professional or confiding in a supportive friend. Every step toward understanding and healing is progress.