In the digital age, where access to explicit content is just a click away, it’s more important than ever to know the facts about the impact of pornography addiction on mental health. The common questions we get at TheHopeLine are, "Does porn make you depressed?" "Does porn make you anxious?" The short answer is… yes.

Pornography addiction is what’s known as a hypersexual disorder, and as with all addiction, it can have potentially detrimental effects on your psychological well-being. While it’s a controversial topic, the research on porn addiction is clear, and the first step in protecting yourself is to know the signs.

Am I Addicted to Pornography?

Porn addiction hasn’t been studied enough to be included in the DSM-V on its own, but we know enough about hypersexual disorders to draw some important conclusions. When the use of pornography becomes an uncontrollable urge to consume pornography despite negative consequences, it’s safe to say you’ve crossed over into the territory of addiction.

Like other addictions, it hijacks the brain's reward system, leading to compulsive behaviors and cravings. Basically, repeated exposure to pornographic imagery can lead to desensitization, which means the longer you engage with porn, the more and more extreme content you’ll require to experience the same level of arousal. It’s an addictive cycle, just like what happens with drugs, alcohol, or gambling.

Eventually, your brain will crave so much porn that your compulsive need to look at it will begin to impact your day-to-day life. One picture or video every so often becomes several pics a week, which becomes several a day, until you’re streaming porn on your phone in the bathroom at work or school, even skipping out on socializing or responsibilities to have more time for porn.

Here are some signs you’re at risk or already struggling with porn addiction:

• You’re already diagnosed with another psychological or mood disorder. Hypersexual disorders are often “comorbidities” of other mental health issues, which just means it’s very common to see them both at the same time.
• You’re a young man—your demographic is at the highest risk for porn addiction for several reasons, and because of that, a lot of pornography is targeted toward that audience.
• You’re online a lot. If you’re constantly on your computer or phone, scrolling through whatever the internet dishes up, you’re more than likely to stumble upon porn at some point. On top of that, once you have the desire to access porn, you’ll have it at your fingertips 24/7. That’s like locking an alcoholic in a liquor store.
• You’re religious. Yes, it’s true. A lot of folks in religious communities are at an increased risk of porn addiction for two reasons—1) Sex is a big no-no in a lot of religions, which means you’re less likely to tell anyone if you’re looking at porn. 2) Addiction thrives on secrecy.
• You find it difficult or impossible to stop watching porn, even watching it in places where you can get caught—work, school, public transportation, etc.
• You feel guilt or shame when you watch porn.
• You find yourself isolating from friends or avoiding work to watch more porn.
• You notice a decrease in attraction to your partner.
• You notice you can’t really “function” without watching porn routinely.
• You’re constantly thinking about sex and planning your next opportunity to check for new porn on your go-to sites.
• You find yourself taking sexual risks and seeking out real-life experiences that mimic what you’ve seen in porn.
• You’ve been confronted about your porn use having a negative impact on your life, and you denied having a problem.

If you resonate with a few things on that list of signs and symptoms, but you’re questioning whether or not you should cut back on porn use, it’s time to talk about what porn does to your mental health.

Is Porn Bad for Mental Health?

We’re talking about an addictive behavior. If you have one or two beers every so often, your overall mental and physical health will most likely see no changes. If, however, you drink enough to black out on a regular basis, you’re in for some pretty serious health consequences. It’s the same idea here. Pornography addiction is bad for your mental health for several reasons:

• Usually, an addictive behavior serves as a coping mechanism for some underlying psychological distress. You may turn to pornography as a means of escaping stress, anxiety, or depression, looking for temporary relief from emotional pain. But like any addiction, pornography use as a coping strategy can actually make your mental health issues worse in the long run because you’re ultimately avoiding the root causes of your distress.
• Porn addiction can also damage, even ruin, your relationships, leaving you with feelings of guilt, shame, and loneliness. It can also mess with your perceptions of intimacy and sexuality, hindering your ability to form genuine connections. Isolation is a critical ingredient in the recipe for poor mental health.
• Porn addiction can also distort how you see your own body. The portrayal of unrealistic body standards in pornography can lead to feelings of inadequacy and self-loathing. That kind of negative body image can fuel a vicious cycle of shame and low self-esteem.
• Porn addiction can also impair your cognitive functioning and ability to self-regulate. Excessive consumption of pornography has been linked to lowered attention span, decreased decision-making abilities, and reduced impulse control, all of which can worsen existing mental health conditions and hinder your ability to manage your addictive behaviors effectively.

So… Does porn cause anxiety? Does porn addiction cause depression? There is some evidence that it can cause these mental health issues, but there’s plenty to say that it will make your existing anxiety and depression worse.

How Can You Heal From Porn Addiction?

Do you think you’re dealing with porn addiction? If so, you’re not alone. It’s a far more pervasive problem than you’d think because, of course, nobody wants to talk about it. But there is hope, and there are plenty of resources to help you make a change for the better.

• First, consider finding a licensed therapist or counselor. When you’re not sure if you can tell your friends and family, a neutral third party is a great way to support your mental health. A professional will be able to help you sort through what’s at the root of your behavior and how you start to heal. You might even consider family or relationship counseling if your addiction has caused rifts that need healing.
• Accept that you have a problem you want to solve, and decide why you want to get better. When recovery gets tough, clinging to the reason you want to stay away from porn will be an essential motivator. Is your reason to improve your mental health? To repair your relationship? To increase your self-esteem? Remember that.
• Limit your access. Reduce your screen time, get rid of any physical pornography you have, delete any saved files or images, and set up filters and blockers on your phone and computer to protect yourself from seeking out new porn. You can even give the passwords for these blocks to an accountability partner to deter you from deactivating them.
• Find support and accountability. If you’re able, tell someone close to you who you can trust to keep you accountable without judging you. Having someone to call as you go through the process of giving up porn can be crucial to your recovery. You can also find support groups, either online or locally. Joining a community of folks who are also working to recover from addictive behavior can make you feel less alone.
• Find a healthy replacement activity or habit you can turn to when you have the urge to look at porn. The idea here is not to dive head-first into a new addictive behavior in order to avoid porn. The point is to keep yourself busy with something healthy when cravings arise so that you’re able to keep a clear head for the work you’re doing in therapy to address the root causes of your addiction.

Where Do You Go From Here?

When it’s hard enough to talk about sex, how are you supposed to seek out support for a pornography addiction? Your shame and your addiction will try to tell you one of two things. Either you don’t have a problem in the first place or you’ll be written off and rejected if you tell anyone. But here’s the truth: shame and addiction need secrecy and lies to thrive. By seeking out the support you need, you can find freedom from porn addiction.

If you don’t know where to start, here are two steps you can take:

1. Talk to Jesus. Did you know that in Aramaic, Jesus was pronounced Yeshua or Yasha? When that name is translated into Greek, it means "healer" or "the one who makes all things well." He’s not going to see your addiction and think you’re a lost cause. He’s going to see you and think, “How can I help?”

2. Reach out to one of our Hope Coaches. You can chat with us anytime, and we’ll never judge. We’ll connect you with other resources and help you figure out a plan for improving your mental health.

Remember that you’re never alone, and there’s always hope. Pornography addiction is a big challenge, but it can be overcome.

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