Problematic Pornography Use

Screening tools for Compulsive Sexual Behaviour Disorder and Problematic Pornography Use

This section has 34 items and 17 videos. It looks at the notion of addictive personality; sexual minorities; screening tools for neurodiverse users and various assessments for testing problematic pornography use. References and quizzes included.

Enroll for free

Do you work with people who struggle with anxiety, depression, poor sleep, other mental health issues or sexual difficulties?
Have you ever considered that watching too much pornography could cause their symptoms?
Are your patients/clients/colleagues/pupils/service users concerned about the way they use pornography?
Do you want to support them better?

If so, this course is for you.

This self-paced course is especially relevant for family doctors, nurses, social workers, mental health professionals, psychologists, counsellors, criminal justice professionals, guidance teachers, school and university counsellors, sexual health services workers, psychosexual therapists, youth workers, pharmacists, and religious ministers. If you are only interested in one area of problematic pornography use, such as intimate partner violence (sexual strangulation), or adolescents for example, you can download the course and just focus on The Basics and the module of your choice. You're not obliged to do the whole course unless you'd like to.

Meet our experts

Why take this course?

You support people who struggle with mental health, problematic pornography use issues and/or sexual dysfunction symptoms

Mental health symptoms including anxiety, social anxiety, depression, poor sleep, lack of motivation, brain fog, constant sexual fantasy, negative body image...
Problematic pornography use symptoms including no interest in sex with a partner, lack of sexual satisfaction with a partner, inability to orgasm with or without porn/sex toy, delayed orgasm, erectile dysfunction, arousal dysfunction, premature ejaculation…

Scientific research has shown that problematic pornography use can be the reason behind many of these symptoms.

If you work with people who struggle with these symptoms, it’s essential that you learn how to support them effectively so they can avoid damaging consequences especially to their sexual relationships. Once you understand how pornography affects the brain, you'll be equipped to recognise its role as an underlying issue and help your patients/clients who have developed problematic pornography use.

After taking this course, you will:

Know when to ask questions about pornography use to uncover the root causes of symptoms
Feel confident dealing with concerns around pornography use and its consequences
Learn to spot the signs of sexual dysfunctions, problematic pornography use and compulsive sexual behaviour disorder in men, women and teenagers and when they are caused by pornography
Learn about the links between pornography and intimate partner violence and how to detect issues
Learn about teenagers’ behaviour around pornography and its potential negative consequences
Learn how to support people in a practical way who are struggling with pornography which is having a negative impact on their lives

Doctor, Stratford

“This was one of the best courses I have attended as it was all new learning for me. I was unaware of the addictive danger of internet pornography. Now I know.”

GP, Plymouth

“I learned a lot more about how pornography affects mood, behaviour and relationships.”

"It was a new area, particularly relevant to my population. I got insight into a whole new aspect of discussing depression. I will ask about porn use now!"

"I now have the confidence to ask about porn, particularly when people present with other issues."

I found this extremely informative and it highlights the true impact of internet pornography on child development and problematic/harmful behaviours in children, adolescents and through to adulthood.

An evidence based approach

This course is evidence-based and is supported by a large amount of scientific research. All research is referenced in the course.
It was developed with world-leading clinicians and academics and draws on their knowledge and experience.
This online course was approved by five senior clinicians as part of the accreditation process by the Royal College of General Practitioners in London in late 2023. The RCGP changed its business model in 2024 and no longer accredits this type of training. Without the high accreditation fee, we can now offer the course for free. The current version has been slightly revised to reflect recent changes in the literature.

Course curriculum

1. Introduction by Mary Sharpe, CEO, course instructor
2. Expert advisors
3. Training Provider
4. April 2026 update on Problematic Porn Use and Compulsive Sexual Behaviour Disorder
1. Introduction
2. Learning objectives
3. I just have an addictive personality!
4. Addictive personality quiz
5. Pre-existing condition?
6. Perhaps I have performance anxiety?
7. Latest screening tools for CSBD
8. Screening tools quiz
9. Time to start thinking about pre-addiction?
10. Permissive sexual attitude was strongest predictor of PPU, not religiosity
11. How long does it take for CSBD to develop?
12. Developing CSBD quiz
13. Testing for Problematic Pornography Use
14. Brief Pornography Screener
15. Brief Pornography Screener download
16. Screening for CSBD in women
17. Sexual minorities and CSBD
18. Sexual minorities and CSBD quiz
19. Need for flexibility in screening for certain groups
20. Need for flexibility in screening for certain groups quiz
21. Screening tools used in internet addiction rehab centre
22. CSBD and neurodevelopmental conditions
23. Screening tools for neurodiverse individuals
24. Neurodiverse screening tools quiz
25. Potential for escalation to Child Sexual Exploitation Material (CSEM)
26. Study by Professor De Win
27. Cyber Pornography Addiction Test - CYPAT
28. CYPAT quiz
29. International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF- 5) Questionnaire
30. Asking about pornography use
31. Guidance on asking about porn use
32. Asking about porn quiz
33. Screening for ED in people not having partnered sex
34. Screening for ED in people not having partnered sex quiz
35. References for 'Screening tools for CSBD and PPU'

About this course

Free
17 short video lessons
Interactive quizzes and reading
Total learning time: 6 hours

Who are we?

The Reward Foundation

The Reward Foundation is a health education charity established in 2014. We focus on internet pornography and its impact on mental and physical health, relationships, productivity and criminality. We make scientific research around pornography accessible to non-scientists and scientists so everyone is aware of the risks and solutions.

As seen in

The Times, The Sunday Times, The Guardian,The Telegraph, The Daily Mail , The Mail on Sunday, The Sunday Post, The Herald, The Scotsman, BBC Radio 4 PM, LBC, BBC Scotland and more.