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Hard to stop

Porn addiction is not a diagnosis. What exists is compulsive sexual behaviour disorder in the ICD-11, which the World Health Organization placed among impulse control disorders rather than addictions, and whose criteria say that distress arising entirely from moral disapproval does not qualify. One treatment program has been tested in a randomized trial. What it teaches is not abstinence.

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Is Porn Addiction Real? The Diagnosis, and What Sweden's Only Trial Actually Taught

ICD-11 files compulsive sexual behaviour disorder under impulse control, not addiction. A 2026 review of 11 studies found frequency did not predict dysfunction.

Sep 11, 2026·19 min read·Sweden, United States, United Kingdom, South Korea

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SwedenIs Porn Addiction Real? The Diagnosis, and What Sweden's Only Trial Actually Taught
United StatesIs Porn Addiction Real? The Diagnosis, and What Sweden's Only Trial Actually Taught
United KingdomIs Porn Addiction Real? The Diagnosis, and What Sweden's Only Trial Actually Taught
South KoreaIs Porn Addiction Real? The Diagnosis, and What Sweden's Only Trial Actually Taught
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