Do you frequently wake up at 3 AM with pangs of anxiety and stress, then reach for your mobile device to watch porn as a means to bury those feelings and get back to sleep? Do you open your laptop to sexually explicit content and engage in self-stimulation whenever feeling depressed? Do you often browse adult material during work hours to get over the anger and frustration you may feel with management or colleagues? Whatever the case may be, it’s clear that you’re using porn as an evasion strategy. While it may seem to “work” in getting you over those troubling mental health humps in your day, it’s an unhealthy coping mechanism that may make matters worse. It’s particularly problematic for anyone struggling with stress, anxiety, depression, and a number of other disorders. Please keep reading.
3 Reasons Why Porn is an Unhealthy Coping Mechanism for People Suffering from Anxiety, Stress, Depression, and Other Disorders
Relief is Fleeting
At the most basic level, the relief you feel when consuming porn and partaking in masturbation is temporary. The physical act causes the body to release dopamine, which is a naturally occurring neurotransmitter in your brain that is responsible for feelings of pleasure, satisfaction, and motivation. The activity also facilitates the release of the hormone oxytocin, which lowers cortisol levels and subsequently stress. The release of these chemical messengers are responsible for making you feel good. However, within minutes or even seconds of closing your browser (etc.) both dopamine and oxytocin come crashing down. Dopamine crashes are associated with a return to strong feelings of anxiety and depression while a drop in oxytocin levels have also been linked to feelings of depression. So to reiterate, consumption of porn to evade negative feelings is fleeting and is therefore a big part of why porn is considered to be an unhealthy coping mechanism.
Coping Mechanism Becomes a Compulsion
Your brain and body quickly pick-up on the seeming effectiveness of porn consumption as a vessel to navigate passed troubling thoughts. They become accustomed to the chemical response to your use of pornography and demand that you increase frequency to sustain the same release of dopamine and oxytocin. From there, compulsive behavior is formed which is generally self-reported as porn and/or masturbation addiction. Once compulsive behavior is formed, intervention from a mental/behavioral health professional is typically required. The risk of going untreated (by a professional) is associated with physical and mental health consequences as concerning as suicide ideation and more. Once again we are able to point to porn as being an unhealthy coping mechanism.
Comorbidity of Porn Addiction and Other Disorders
As discussed in the introduction, you may be using porn to cope with feelings of stress, anxiety, depression, and/or other disorders. We followed that up by addressing that a dependence on this tactic can lead to compulsive behavior which often goes by the name of porn addiction (view signs and symptoms here). This is problematic in itself. However, it’s of critical importance to note that porn addiction is comorbid (or cooccurs with) with a number of menatl and behavioral health disorders. These include (but are not exclusive to) the following:
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
- Anxiety
- Bipolar Disorder
- Chronic Stress
- Depression
- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
- Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
If you already struggle with any of the above, this comorbid relationship may indicate an increased vulnerability to developing porn addiction. Further, research shows that genetic factors may contribute up to 40% of addictive and compulsive disorders such as porn addiction. Consequently, it becomes critically clear that porn is indeed an extremely unhealthy coping mechanism. Not only does it not allow an individual to deal with the underlying issues that cause one to turn to porn in the first place, the development of compulsive porn use adds another layer of complexity to a therapeutic intervention plan. Ultimately, it places you further from the goal line of optimal mental health and wellness.
Other Articles You May be Interested In:
- Do I Masturbate Too Much?
- Signs and Symptoms of Porn Addiction
- Bipolar Disorder Hypersexuality and Porn Addiction
- Pornography Addiction in Women Should Be Taken Seriously Too
- Porn Addiction in Athletes
- Porn Addiction in the Military
- Healthier Alternatives to Pornography
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