Sexual Addiction

The goal of this observational study is to evaluate the expression of miR-10a-5p in the blood in patients with sexual addiction or food addiction. The main question it aims to answer is : To determine whether adults patients with SA or FA exhibit a distinct blood miR-10a-5p expression profile compared with matched healthy controls. For all participants, one blood sample will be collected.

Sexual addiction, also known as hypersexuality or compulsive sexuality, is a human sexual behavior that results in a continuous and persistent search for sexual pleasure. Replacing the former terms satyriasis and nymphomania, the World Health Organization (WHO) ICD-11 has referred to this disorder as "compulsive sexual behavior disorders". From multiple causes (iatrogeny, neurological causes, psychiatric causes, psychopathological hypotheses), but still only partially known, the inclusion of this disorder among impulsivity-related disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorders or addiction-related disorders is still debated in the scientific literature. Thus, in the absence of sufficient robust scientific data, DSM-5 refused to include this disorder in its classification. However, the consequences of this disorder on the psychosocial functioning of individuals are not negligible, which can go as far as the precipitation of a transition to an heteroaggressive act which can thus lead to incarceration. The prevalence of this disorder in the general population is estimated between 2 and 6% based on current literature data. This rate appears to be higher among men and more specifically among sex offenders. However, some authors have noted that the difficulty in determining a clear prevalence of sexual addiction may be related to the still poorly defined diagnostic criteria for this disorder as well as the choice of measurement tools. In the inmate population, to our knowledge, there are no French prevalence studies of this disorder. In addition, no studies have been conducted to compare the prevalence of sexual addiction among sex offenders (SASO) with that among non-sex offenders (SANSO). We hope that better screening for addiction would enable better management of patients with this disorder, promoting their psychosocial rehabilitation and well-being, so as to prevent the recurrence of a transition to sexual arousal.

The goal of this case-control study is to compare clinical characteristics in help-seeking individuals with paraphilic disorders or sexsomnia (sexual behaviors during sleep- a diagnosis in the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, (DSM-5)), as compared to healthy controls. The main questions this study aims to answer are: (1a) Is there a difference in experience of violence between the clinical population and healthy controls? Is there a difference between the clinical groups? (1b) What are the clinical characteristics of these conditions (psychiatric, sociodemographic, and genetic/epigenetic factors)? Does the clinical population differ from healthy controls? (1c) How are the psychometric properties of the assessment forms (primarily those addressing sexual deviance and compulsive sexuality) in the project? (1d) How has sexual interest developed over time among patients with paraphilic disorders? (including the person's own description of e.g. triggers and expectations). Follow-up of clinical population: (2) What is the typical treatment as usual (TAU) for the patient population? (e.g., average length of care, the percentage of dropouts and what kind of treatment has been given) (3) Are there any factors at baseline (e.g., presence of neuropsychiatric symptoms, age, symptom burden) that predict treatment outcome? (i.e., symptom burden based on self-assessments at follow-up 3, 6 and 12 months from the start of treatment and records in offence registers after 10 years).