Sexual Anorexia

A sex addict can alternate between a flurry of sexual activity and a complete shut-down of sexual expression. This is commonly referred to as the “binge-purge” cycle of sex addiction. The fear of intimacy combined with no learned skills in developing a healthy relationship create this pattern of extremes. Like the sexual anorectic, the person operates out of fears of rejection, failure, social anxiety, and similar issues. For both the sexual anorectic and sex addict, it is common to hear of neglect, alcoholism, and narcissistic patterns of parenting in their childhood families.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. They may be sexual in an isolated style. In fact, many Sexual Anorectics come into treatment for sex addiction after repeated attempts to  stop compulsive activity such as anonymous sex, masturbation, frequenting strip clubs, and internet pornography. Even though it appears as though these people are active sexually, they lack intimacy or connection with others. They tend to be isolated and lonely, with few, if any, friends. They may never have dated in a way that allows intimacy to develop. Or they may be in a relationship, but acting non-sexual with their primary partner, seeking sex outside of the relationship.

Can Sexual Anorectics Be Sexual?

Is There a Typical Profile For These People?

Can a Person Be Both Anorexic AND Addicted to Sex?

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Their histories tend to reveal shyness, anxiety, instability, and isolation during childhood and through their teen years. They are often only children, or separated by many years from their siblings. They often become quite successful in later life, in part due to their resourcefulness. Sexual acting-out becomes a self-soothing mechanism to ward off feelings of anxiety, entrapment, loneliness, and fear.

How to Tell if Someone is Sexually Anorectic or a Sex Addict?

The sex addict is more likely to be in a relationship that has some intimacy, and is more likely to have close friends. The history of the sexual anorectic is more likely to reveal social phobias, panic disorders, isolated styles in childhood, and an inability to maintain feelings of closeness towards others when separated.