CHARACTERISTICS OF 36 SUBJECTS REPORTING COMPULSIVE SEXUAL-BEHAVIOR

Objective: The authors describe the sociodemographic features, phenome nology, and psychiatric comorbidity of 36 subjects reporting compulsiv e sexual behavior. Method: Twenty-eight men and eight women who respon ded to advertisements for ''persons...who have a problem with compulsi ve sexual behavior'' completed structured and semistructured assessmen ts, including the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for DSM-III-R disorder s (axis I) and the Structured Interview for DSM-III-R Personality Diso rders, Revised (axis II). Results: The typical subject was a 27-year-o ld man who reported experiencing compulsive sexual behavior for nearly 9 years. Sexual behavior was described as excessive and poorly contro lled and was associated with either subjective distress or impairment in interpersonal or occupational functioning or as overly time-consumi ng. Fourteen subjects (39%) reported a history of major depression or dysthymia, 15 (42%) a history of phobic disorder, and 23 (64%) a histo ry of substance use disorder. Personality disorders were quite frequen t, particularly the paranoid histrionic, obsessive-compulsive, and pas sive-aggressive subtypes. The compulsive sexual behavior was quite var ied and included both paraphilic (e.g., cross-dressing) and nonparaphi lic (e.g., compulsive masturbation) types. Conclusions: Compulsive sex ual behavior may be a clinically useful concept, but it describes a he terogeneous group of individuals with substantial psychiatric comorbid ity and diverse behavioral problems.