RESEARCH EVIDENCE STRONG EVIDENCE Diagnostic classification Tier 1 — Clinical guideline / international classification

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) — Hypersexual Disorder not included

Authors: American Psychiatric Association
Year: 2013
Type: Clinical guideline / classification
Method: Diagnostic classification manual
Source: https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/practice/dsm
Last verified: 2026-10-04

Main question

Did the DSM-5 include a diagnosis for hypersexual behaviour?

Summary

The American Psychiatric Association’s DSM-5 (2013) does not include “hypersexual disorder” or “sexual addiction” as diagnoses. Proposed criteria for hypersexual disorder were considered during the DSM-5 process but were not adopted.

Why it matters

This is a significant data point in the behavioural addiction debate: the two major classification systems differ. The ICD-11 includes CSBD, while the DSM-5 does not include a comparable category. This divergence reflects genuine, unresolved scientific disagreement.

Findings

The DSM-5 did not include 'hypersexual disorder' or 'sexual addiction' as diagnostic categories.
Proposed criteria for hypersexual disorder were considered but not adopted, with reviewers citing insufficient evidence.

What this study can support

Documents that no such diagnosis was adopted.

What it cannot establish

Causal conclusions beyond the study design; generalizations to populations, behaviors, or contexts outside the sample; and any claim not directly measured.

Limitations

A classification decision, not an empirical finding; it reflects the state of the evidence as of 2013.

Clinical relevance