The Institute for Essential Change

WOMEN'S SEXUAL ADDICTION SCREENING TEST
By Patrick Carnes, Ph.D. and Sharon O'Hara, MA

The following questions are designed to be used as guidelines to identifying possible signs of sex and love addiction. They are not intended to provide a sure-fire method of diagnosis, nor can negative answers to these questions provide absolute assurance that the illness is not present. Many sex and love addicts have varying patterns which can result in very different ways of approaching and answering these questions.

1.	Were you sexually abused as a child or adolescent?	Yes	No



2.	Do you regularly purchase romance novels or sexually explicit magazines?	Yes	No



3.	Have you stayed in romantic relationships after they’ve become emotionally or physically abusive?	Yes	No



4.	Do you often find yourself preoccupied with sexual thoughts or romantic daydreams?	Yes	No



5.	Do you feel that your sexual behavior is normal?	Yes	No



6.	Does your spouse or [significant other(s)] ever worry or complain about your sexual behavior?	Yes	No



7.	Do you have trouble stopping your sexual behavior when you know it is inappropriate?	Yes	No



8.	Do you ever feel bad about your sexual behavior?	Yes	No



9.	Has your sexual behavior ever created problems for you and your family?	Yes	No



10.	Have you ever sought help for sexual behavior you did not like?	Yes	No



11.	Have you ever worried about people finding out about your sexual activities?	Yes	No



12.	Has anyone been hurt emotionally because of your sexual behavior?	Yes	No



13.	Have you ever participated in sexual activity in exchange for money or gifts?	Yes	No



14.	Do you have times when you act out sexually followed by periods of celibacy (no sex at all)?	Yes	No



15.	Have you made efforts to quit a sexual activity and failed?	Yes	No



16.	Do you hide some of your sexual behavior from others?	Yes	No



17.	Do you find yourself having multiple romantic relationships at the same time?	Yes	No



18.	Have you ever felt degraded by your sexual behavior?	Yes	No



19.	Has sex or romantic fantasies been a way for you to escape your problems?	Yes	No



20.	When you have sex, do you feel depressed afterwards?	Yes	No



21.	Do you regularly engage in sado-masochistic behavior?	Yes	No



22.	Has your sexual activity interfered with your family life?	Yes	No



23.	Have you been sexual with minors?	Yes	No



24.	Do you feel controlled by your sexual desire or fantasies of romance?	Yes	No



25.	Do you ever think your sexual desire is stronger than you are?	Yes	No




Total Yes Answers: If you answered Yes to 0-3 Q’s – you’re probably not sexually addicted If you answered Yes to 4-6 Q’s – you may have a problem If you answered Yes to 7 or more questions, we suggest you seek help for sex addiction. The clinical staff at The Institute for Essential Change is available by phone at 954.463.6563 or email info@essentialchange.org


Other Self-Assessment Tests: Men's Sexual Addiction Screening Test Cybersex Addiction Screening Test Partner or Spouse's Co-Addiction Screening Test