“If the person has guilt and shame over what they are doing, then it may be a harmful addiction,” he says.
But individuals who believe that masturbation is a sin could be adversely affected by the guilt and the shame they feel when they do the same thing, says Dr. “And it is highly individual as to whether a person feels harmed by it.” For example, one person may look at porn and masturbate and not feel guilty, ashamed, or unable to stop himself. “For porn addiction, you have to spend time using porn in a way that causes harm,” says Michael McGee, MD, staff psychiatrist at Atascadero State Hospital in San Luis Obispo, California.
