Nymphomania is a psychiatric disorder whose main symptom is a constant and insatiable sexual appetite However, this problem is not related to the production of sex hormones. If it were, it would be easily solved with a good endocrinologist. The big problem with nymphomania is that it is a compulsion, that is, the person is unable to control his or her sexual impulse.

One has to be careful with this diagnosis. Generally, it is considered nymphomania when it starts to impair the person's life in all aspects, such as work There are no criteria to diagnose nymphomania, the diagnosis is only given after the psychiatrist or psychoanalyst has had a conversation and analyzed the cause of the disorder.

In this context, there is no doctor or psychoanalyst who can, according to a set of norms, establish whether the patient's sexual desire has crossed the limit of normality. Desire is something personal, which varies among individuals. If there is compulsion, the woman should voluntarily seek help, when she understands that her desire is disrupting her life and causing negative feelings,as shame.

Only in women the sexual compulsion is called nymphomania, in men it is known as satyriasis.

What causes nymphomania?

There is no specific cause for the emergence of this or any compulsion. Just as it may be to try to fill some gap in a woman's life, it may also be a way she has found to relieve some stress. Giving in to sexual impulse does not solve major problems, for that reason, The compulsive person continues to give in in search of a solution and enters a cycle that is detrimental to his or her own life.

Women who have experienced trauma in childhood or have some other mental disorder, such as bipolar disorder, may be more likely to develop nymphomania.

There are some hypotheses of the origin, as psychiatrist Glenn-Gabbard says. The physical or affective abandonment of parents in the first years of life causes in the individual traumas that can become various types of compulsion. In this context, some of these children, already in childhood, show some compulsion as the food.

Sexual Repression of Women and Nymphomania

When correctly diagnosed, a woman with nymphomania is, in fact, a carrier of a type of compulsion. In it, the woman tries to fill some void or seek some kind of relief through sex. Just like any other compulsion, treatment is a must, because it affects life in all aspects.

However, for many years, the term "nymphomaniac" was used to simply designate women who express their sexuality more than what is expected by society. Take the 19th century, for example, when some psychiatric treatments were developed in an extremely cruel way. Misdiagnosis of nymphomania led to women having their clitorises cut off and their brains electrocuted .

The female sexual initiative is a taboo, because it is not talked about so much. Thus, the responsibility for sex in a relationship ends up being assigned to the man. In this way, a woman with initiative or a healthy relationship with her own sexuality, goes outside the social "norm" and ends up being considered a "nymphomaniac". However, the diagnosis is wrongly assigned.

In this context, nymphomania is the name of a disease that is also used pejoratively to refer to women who in some way fall outside the expected standard. The term also translates the myth of the insatiable woman for sex, extremely exploited by the porn industry.

Problems related to sex can have many names and causes. However, for women it is much easier for it to boil down to nymphomania. In the case of men, it is hardly considered a disorder when he is involved with many partners. This is because sexual involvement with multiple partners is socially well accepted.

Therefore, We have to know how to differentiate what is a compulsion from the individual's relationship with sexuality.

Signs of nymphomania

Although there is no specific formula or set of symptoms for the disorder, some signs should be observed at the time of diagnosis. Here are some of them.

Compulsion for sex

Having sex all the time and seeking multiple partners, in itself, is not compulsion. What characterizes the disorder is the inability to resist the urge for sex, no matter the time and place. It is an uncontrollable need that needs to be solved urgently, and that leads to seeking more than one partner in the same day.

Excessive masturbation and excessive use of pornography

In the movie "Nymphomaniac", a certain scene shows the protagonist injured because of excessive masturbation. Even though she had many partners a day, she still had the need to masturbate.

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Likewise, there is demand and overuse of pornographic videos every day Masturbation and the consumption of these videos are also part of the compulsion when resisting them becomes impossible.

Recurrent and intense sexual fantasies

Having sexual fantasies is common and healthy. But having them in intense, recurring ways that you cannot control is a sign of compulsion. This even affects a woman's ability to concentrate on necessary daily tasks or work.

Sexual intercourse with one or several partners

The numbers of partners of a person with nymphomania are larger than normal. They seek many relationships with one partner at a time or with several at the same time.

Compulsion for several affective relationships

Not only sexual, The nymphomaniac may have a compulsion for affection with multiple partners. However, in these relationships there is not necessarily sex. Moreover, the woman can have several simultaneously.

Often, the disorder is related to a person's need to relieve bad feelings inside, Having affective relationships can become a source of momentary relief.

Lack of pleasure or satisfaction

Those who think that a nymphomaniac woman feels pleasure in each and every relationship are mistaken. On the contrary: The incessant search to fill such a great void only brings anguish and suffering. Therefore, it is very common for nymphomania to be accompanied by anxiety or depression.

As women they end up spending the day thinking about their fantasies, about seeking and meeting partners, They also end up feeling a lot of shame for their condition.

Treatment

Together with a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, you must first look to see if there is any other disorder or problem that may be causing the compulsion to have sex. There are medicines that treat compulsion disorders. However, Having a therapeutic accompaniment is essential to try to resolve the cause of the problem.

There should also be an investigation of the person's health, to find out if there have been any sexually transmitted diseases contracted. Hormonal problems should also be investigated. In this context, visits to the endocrinologist and gynecologist must be made together.

Finally, we all need, including those with the disorder, to equip ourselves with information about the compulsion. This is to deconstruct all the prejudice we have about the subject. It is important that this deconstruction is done, since nymphomania has been a term used in a pejorative way for so many years.

Finally, if you want to understand more about how to approach and treat people with sexual disorders such as nymphomania, check out our EAD course! In it, you acquire valuable tools to deal with your own life and also help others in your work, in the family environment, and also as a psychoanalyst.

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