Compulsive Sexual Behaviour Disorder (CSBD)
Concept
Compulsive Sexual Behaviour Disorder (CSBD) is a diagnostic category in the ICD-11 describing a persistent pattern of failure to control intense, repetitive sexual impulses or urges that causes marked distress or significant impairment.
What CSBD is
Compulsive Sexual Behaviour Disorder (CSBD) is the ICD-11 diagnosis for a persistent pattern of failing to control intense, repetitive sexual impulses or urges, where the behaviour causes marked distress or significant impairment. It is classified under impulse control disorders and took effect in 2022.
Divergence between classification systems
The ICD-11 includes CSBD, but the DSM-5 does not include a comparable diagnosis — it rejected a proposed “hypersexual disorder.” This divergence is a concrete sign that the scientific classification remains debated.
Community vs. clinical terms
Recovery communities rarely use “CSBD”; they speak of “porn addiction” or “sex addiction.” Those community terms are not formal diagnoses. Understanding the difference is part of this knowledge base’s purpose. See the CSBD definition for more.
What the research shows
CSBD is classified under impulse control disorders in the ICD-11 (effective 2022). The DSM-5 does not include a comparable diagnosis. The construct and its boundaries are actively debated.
Community observation
Community members typically do not use 'CSBD' language; they use terms like 'porn addiction' or 'sex addiction,' which are not formal diagnoses.
Practical implications
- Knowing the formal diagnostic category can help people understand what a clinician might assess.
- The existence of a diagnosis does not mean every heavy user has CSBD; distress and impairment are required.
What we know
- CSBD is an official ICD-11 diagnosis under impulse control disorders.
- Diagnosis requires marked distress or significant impairment over about six months.
What we don't know
- The prevalence and natural course of CSBD.
- How CSBD maps onto self-identified 'porn addiction' in the community.
What is debated
- Whether CSBD should be classified as an impulse-control disorder, a compulsion, or an addiction.
- Whether the criteria appropriately distinguish pathology from high but non-distressing sexual interest.
Related research
Limitations
- Field testing for CSBD was limited.
- The diagnosis is a classification decision, not a settled scientific fact about the underlying nature of the behaviour.