What is hypersexuality
Hypersexuality is referred to by doctors as Compulsive sexual behavior / Mayo Clinic a constant, strong, and poorly controlled urge for sex.
This condition has other names: hypersexual disorder, sexual addiction, compulsive sexual behavior. Alternatively, female hypersexuality is commonly referred to as nymphomania (although some specialists find this term degrading Nymphomaniac: A Realistic Look at Female Hypersexuality? / Psychology Today ), while male hypersexuality is called satyriasis.
Uncontrollable sexual urges are more common than it may seem: they affect L. Karila, A. Wéry et al. Sexual addiction or hypersexual disorder: different terms for the same problem? A review of the literature / Current Pharmaceutical Design 3 to 6% of adults.
Whatever term you choose, it refers to the same thing: excessively high libido, preoccupation with sexual experiences and fantasies, and a constant sense of sexual dissatisfaction. A hypersexual person desires intimacy so much and suffers so greatly when they cannot obtain it that it destroys their social and personal life.
What are the dangers of hypersexuality
Here are just a few unpleasant consequences Compulsive sexual behavior / Mayo Clinic of sexual addiction.
- Constant feelings of guilt, shame, low self-esteem.
- Lack of selectivity in relationships, willingness to engage in sex with almost any partner.
- Increased risk of contracting HIV, hepatitis B, or another sexually transmitted infection (STIs).
- The need to lie to a permanent partner and family, leading to the destruction of meaningful connections.
- Financial debts accumulated due to the purchase of pornography or sexual services.
- Development of other mental disorders: depression, anxiety disorder, suicidal urges.
- Legal issues caused by uncontrollable sexual behavior.
How to recognize hypersexuality
If you regularly feel the urge for sex with a permanent partner, even too often in your opinion, it does not mean you have a disorder. The need for physical closeness is a normal part of a healthy person's life. But only as long as the desire for intimacy does not cross boundaries.
Nymphomania or satyriasis can be suspected based on the following symptoms Hypersexuality (Sex Addiction) / Psychology Today .
- You have periodic and very strong sexual fantasies and desires that take up a lot of time. For example, you watch porn for a couple of hours or masturbate several times a day.
- You have tried to hold yourself back, but it is difficult to do so.
- When you give in to the impulse, you feel relief, but also guilt or remorse.
- You resort to sexual activities every time you get nervous. This has become your way of relieving stress.
- Sexual fantasies interfere with your work or daily obligations.
- You continue to follow your sexual desires even when you realize they are harmful to you. For example, you agree to casual sex without a condom. Or you watch porn during working hours, even after receiving a warning that you will be fired after the next incident.
- You realize that you need too much sex — much more than others do.
- You have serious problems in your personal life: you cannot establish and maintain long-term relationships.
The more such signs you have, the more likely the diagnosis of "compulsive sexual behavior" is. A doctor can diagnose hypersexuality if these symptoms have been observed for more than six months.
Where hypersexuality comes from
The World Health Organization classifies Excessive sexual drive / ICD-10 excessive sexual desire as a category of mental and behavioral disorders. However, researchers have not yet reached a consensus about the nature of nymphomania and satyriasis.
Some consider hypersexuality a consequence of extremely high libido caused by some form of "breakdown" in the brain. This can be either an innate feature or acquired due to abrupt hormonal changes. For example, this may explain sexual addiction in adolescence.
Other researchers suggest Compulsive sexual behavior / Mayo Clinic that hypersexuality is one of the behavioral disorders and associate it with a person's inability to control their impulsive urges for various reasons. Neurological problems, sheer indulgence, or the inability to find other ways to cope with stress can lead to this.
How to treat hypersexuality
Due to the dual nature of sexual addiction, there may be difficulties in choosing therapy. It is not entirely clear what exactly needs to be corrected: whether it is a behavioral disorder or, for example, atypical hormonal activity responsible for increased libido. Therefore, treatment is tailored individually.
It is best to start by consulting a psychotherapist. This specialist can help deal with behavioral disorders.
With the help of psychotherapy
The three types of psychotherapy Compulsive sexual behavior / Mayo Clinic are considered the most effective in this case.
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy. It aims to identify negative thoughts and situations in which you are overwhelmed by sexual dissatisfaction and fantasies and to learn to replace them with calmer, more positive ones.
- Acceptance and commitment therapy. It focuses on helping you accept yourself as you are, with all your desires and thoughts. To view yourself as a whole from the outside. To recognize yourself as an observer who is understanding and sensitive, and from this perspective, learn to manage your actions in a way that does not contradict your moral values.
- Psychoanalytic therapy. Based on classic psychoanalysis — conversations with a therapist, in which you can understand the deeper motives of your actions, triggers of unconscious behavior. And further, having received this information, learn to control your urges.
With the help of medications
Psychotherapy may be supplemented by the use of certain medications. These may include:
- Antidepressants. Their goal is to help manage anxiety and impulsiveness.
- Medications for treating alcohol or drug addiction. They block the part in your brain that derives pleasure from certain types of behavior (in this case, sexual).
- Mood stabilizers. Such agents are usually used to treat bipolar disorder, but can also reduce the frequency of sexual urges.
- Antiandrogens. These medications reduce the action of the sex hormones androgens in men. Since such drugs decrease sexual needs, they are often used for men whose overly active sexual behavior becomes dangerous to others.
Remember: as with any mental or behavioral disorder, it is almost impossible to cope with hypersexuality on your own. Therefore, consult a psychotherapist (or persuade a loved one to make an appointment if you observe dangerous symptoms in them). The sooner you do so, the quicker and easier your return to a normal life, free from unnecessary worries and destructive fantasies, will be.
