The Porn Effect website was founded by Catholic speaker Mattt Fradd. Its mission: "To expose the reality behind the fantasy of pornography and to equip individuals to find freedom from it." Through a 5-step process of prayer and fasting, accountability, information, counseling, and support, it offers a forum for those affected by pornography addiction.

• Crea In Mi un Corazón Puro
• Create In Me A Clean Heart

  At their November 2015 General Assembly, the U.S. bishops approved the formal statement "Create in Me a Clean Heart: A Pastoral Response to Pornography" with an almost unanimous vote.

  There is also a list of related resources from the USCCB here.

  • For Your Marriage.org - resources for those struggling with pornography in a marriage, linked from the USCCB site.  Also see this page.
  • "Wash Me Thoroughly": Healing from Pornography Use and Addiction - part of a series of pamphlets produced by the USCCB as companion pieces to Create In Me A Clean Heart.

Sexual addiction, which is also called sexual dependency, hypersexuality, nymphomania (females), satyriasis (males), compulsive sexual behavior and sexual compulsivity, refers to the phenomenon in which people cannot manage their sexual behavior.

The individual is obsessed with sexual thoughts - thoughts which interfere with their ability to work properly, have relationships, and go about their daily activities. Many say that sexual addiction is a form of obsessive compulsive behavior.

A person with sexual addiction obsessed with sex, or has an abnormally intense sex drive. Their lives are dominated with sex and the thought of sex; so much so that other activities and interactions become seriously affected.

It is not uncommon for the patient with sexual addiction to rationalize and justify their behavior and thought patterns. People with a sex addiction may deny there is a problem.

Experts say there is a strong link between sexual addiction and risk-taking. Even though the risk of danger is clear, they may take risks regardless of the potential consequences, even if this means possible health problems (sexually transmitted diseases), physical risks or emotional consequences.

The sex addict may initially be involved in a healthy and enjoyable sexual situation which eventually develops into an obsession. Fantasies and sometimes actual acts may be well outside the radar of most people's idea of what is sexually acceptable behavior.

There is effective treatment available for individuals with sexual addiction.

The World Health Organization in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) includes "excessive sexual drive" as a diagnosis of sexual addiction.

What are the signs and symptoms of sexual addiction?

A symptom is something the patient senses and describes, while a sign is something other people, such as the doctor notice. For example, drowsiness may be a symptom while dilated pupils may be a sign.

Even though there is no current official diagnosis for sex addiction, doctors and researchers have tried to define the disorder using criteria based on literature on chemical dependency. Some sex addiction behaviors may include:

• Compulsive self-stimulation (masturbation)
• Multiple affairs, this includes extra marital affairs
• Multiple one-night stands
• Multiple sexual partners
• Persistent use of pornography
• Practicing unsafe sex
• Cybersex
• Using prostitutes
• Prostitution
• Exhibitionism
• Dating through personal ads, but in an obsessive way
• Watching others in a sexual way (voyeurism)
• Sexual harassment
• Molestation
• Rape
• Detachment - the sexual activity does not satisfy the individual sexually or emotionally. Bonding with the sexual partner is lacking.
• Feelings of guilt and shame
• Feeling of lack of control over the sexual addiction, even though he/she is aware of the financial, health, or social consequences. The individual may have a recurrent failure pattern to resist impulses to engage in extreme acts of lewd sex.
• Individuals find themselves often engaging in sexual behaviors for much longer than they had intended, and to a much greater extent.
• There have been several attempts to stop, reduce or control behaviors.
• The person spends a great deal of time obtaining sex, being sexual, or recovering from a sexual experience.
• The person may give up social, work-related or recreational activities because of their sexual addiction.
• Sexual rage disorder - the individual may become distressed, anxious, restless and even violent if unable to engage in their addiction.

(from the Medical News Today website)