Compulsive masturbation may involve physical factors, but psychological and social ones are more common. The habit is an escape from anxiety, stress, loneliness, and depression.
Masturbating is a natural and healthy act that brings various benefits to the body and mind. However, when practiced excessively, masturbation can have a reverse effect.
While a healthy relationship with this act helps relieve stress, promote muscle relaxation, improve mood, and explore sexuality, excessive masturbation, on the other hand, starts to harm daily activities, relationships, and sexual life.
When the behavior occurs very frequently and uncontrollably, it’s a case of compulsive masturbation, and it requires specialized help.
How do I know if I’m addicted?
The difference between healthy masturbation and compulsive masturbation lies in frequency, control, and impacts on a man’s life.
Masturbation that occurs with moderate frequency, in a way that does not interfere with daily activities or social relations, is considered healthy.
If there is an intense and frequent need to masturbate, several times a day, neglecting other activities, it may be a case of compulsion.
When a man can contain his impulses and choose when, where, and how to masturbate, there’s no cause for concern. Now, if it’s not possible to resist the urge, putting oneself in risky situations to satisfy it, a closer look at the situation is needed.
Moreover, healthy masturbation usually does not interfere negatively in a man’s life. Compulsive masturbation does, and it can bring impacts in all aspects: family, love, friendships, work, studies, health, and emotional.
Signs and symptoms associated with compulsive masturbation
Compulsive masturbation affects physical, mental, emotional, and sexual health, causing symptoms such as:
Insomnia
Although masturbation is a form of relaxation, when practiced compulsively, it can contribute to sleep disorders.
Compulsive masturbation can interfere with sleep patterns due to excessive sexual stimulation. Additionally, the negative feelings associated with the behavior make it hard to sleep.
Aggressiveness
Compulsive masturbation can be related to aggressiveness as a form of escapism, temporary relief, or lack of emotional control.
In some cases, guilt and shame after the practice can also feed aggressiveness.
Missing social commitments
The time dedicated to masturbation and the voluntary isolation necessary for the act can cause a man to miss out on social commitments. In extreme cases, he may even fail to attend important activities, like work meetings.
By avoiding social events, meetups, or commitments to masturbate, he harms his connections and his social life.
Decreased sensation of pleasure during sex
Addiction to masturbation can lead to a desensitization of pleasure receptors. This means that, during sex, a man may feel less pleasure.
This phenomenon occurs because the brain adapts to the stimulation characteristic of masturbation, making it more difficult to achieve the same satisfaction with a partner.
Loss of penis sensitivity
Excessive masturbation can result in decreased penile sensitivity during sex. If this happens, a man will need more intense stimulation to achieve orgasm, which often can only be reached with more manual stimulus.
Sexual exhaustion
Due to excessive and repetitive practice, compulsive masturbation tends to cause sexual exhaustion.
Sexual exhaustion can manifest in physical and emotional tiredness, in addition to decreased sexual desire and satisfaction at the moment.
Difficulty achieving orgasm
The practice of compulsive masturbation can lead to difficulty in achieving orgasm due to decreased sensitivity of pleasure receptors.
This means that the body becomes accustomed to excessive sexual stimuli, making it difficult to reach orgasm in a relationship involving another person.
Can excessive masturbation cause erectile dysfunction or penile curvature?
Compulsive masturbation is not directly associated with cases of erectile dysfunction or penile curvature.
However, it’s worth noting that certain movements made during the act can favor injuries to the penile tissues, and, the more frequent, the more chances of developing fibrosis – it is responsible for Peyronie’s Disease, which can cause erectile dysfunction and penile curvature.
Therefore, when masturbating:
- Avoid excessive pressure on the penis
- Avoid bending the erect penis to the side
- Avoid the penis colliding with hard surfaces
- Use lubricant
Moreover, erectile dysfunction can have a psychological cause. When a man shows symptoms of excessive masturbation, he may be going through a challenging time, impacting his sexual life, which favors the difficulty in having or maintaining a rigid erection.
Is there an appropriate frequency of masturbation for men?
There isn’t an appropriate frequency for masturbating, but some studies give us some clues about the average around the world.
The National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior, conducted by the Kinsey Institute at Indiana University in 2010, with 5,865 respondents aged between 14 and 94 years, showed that people of all ages masturbated.
25% of men between 18 and 59 years masturbated a few times a month or a week, 20% two to three times a week, and less than 20% masturbated more than four times a week. Older men were more likely not to masturbate.
Among Brazilians, a survey by the Sexlog site identified that 44% of people masturbate between one to three times a week, 25.2% do the act four to six times a week, and 19%, seven or more times. On the other hand, 11.8% of respondents claim not to masturbate.
Another interesting data, extracted from a Harvard University study, suggests that masturbation can help decrease the chances of developing prostate cancer.
Researchers suggest that those who ejaculate 21 times or more per month (whether through masturbation or with partners) can reduce the risk of having the disease by 33%.
When to seek help
It is recommended to seek help when compulsive masturbation is interfering with your life.
If you feel that you can’t control the urge to masturbate, if the amount of times you masturbate has increased, if masturbation is accompanied by negative feelings and/or if other aspects of your life are being affected by this addiction, it’s very important to seek medical guidance.
A professional who cares for mental health, such as psychologists or psychiatrists, and sexual health, such as sexologists or urologists, are most suited to help you.
Types of treatment
The type of treatment for compulsive masturbation varies. First, it’s necessary to identify the causes of this addiction to then develop a personalized treatment plan.
In general, treatments include cognitive-behavioral therapy, individual or group counseling, and, when necessary, medication.
Moreover, a urologist can help you deal with physical symptoms that impact your sexual life, such as erectile dysfunction and penile curvature.
