10% men can’t rein in sexual desire: Study

■ Despite # MeToo, millennials favour sex before marriage, casual sex rising

Some 10 per cent of men and seven per cent of women struggle to control sexual thoughts and urges, a new study reveals.

A healthy sex life has been shown to have benefits for health and happiness, but when sex becomes a compulsion it can interfere with every day functioning and cause distress to those who must constantly fight urges.

Researchers at the University of Minnesota found that the number of Americans struggling with difficult- to- control sexual desires may be increasing.

What’s more, it’s an issue that may affect different groups — particularly sexual and racial minorities — disproportionately, suggesting sexual compulsion may be part of wider health disparities.

American attitudes toward sex have undergone something of a transformation in the last several decades.

In the 1970s, the majority of men and and women in the US disapproved of sex before marriage.

Now, most millennials are in favour of sex before marriage, casual sex is on the rise, and far more open to the idea of same sex couples and activities.

And as these perspectives have shifted, access to sexually explicit content has proliferated online.

Coupled with a seemingly relentless stream of sexual misconduct movements fueling the # MeToo movement, some psychiatrists, parents and public health experts have worried that sexual behavior is getting out of control.

But it’s a divisive subject, and despite these concerns, hypersexuality — also referred to as sex addiction — has been turned down by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ( DSM) each time its addition was been proposed.

Still, it’s remained a concern to University of Minnesota psychiatrist Dr Janna Dickenson, especially in light of the growing number of celebrities and high profile people who have publicly admitted their compulsions.

“From Tiger Woods to Harvey Weinstein, news articles have conjectured that ‘ sex addiction’ is a growing and heretofore unrecognized ‘ epidemic’ while the scientific community debates whether such a problem even exists,” the psychiatrist said.