Hypersexuality

Hypersexuality is the desire to engage in human sexual behavior at a level high enough to be considered clinically significant.

Hypersexuality is characterized by a debilitating need for frequent genital stimulation which, once achieved, may fail to result in the expected long-term sexual-or emotional-satisfaction. This dissatisfaction is what is believed to encourage the heightened frequency of sexual stimulation, as well as additional physiological and neurological symptoms.

Terminology

The concept of hypersexuality replaces the older concepts of nymphomania (or furor uterinus) and satyriasis. Nymphomania was believed to be a female psychological mental disorder characterized by an overactive libido and an Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) with sexual intercourse. In males the disorder was called satyriasis. "Nymphomania" and "satyriasis" are no longer listed as specific disorders in the DSM-IV, though they remain a part of ICD-10. However, some believe hypersexuality to be an admirable state much like intelligent individuals are sometimes shunned as being insane.

The threshold for what constitutes hypersexuality is subject to debate, and critics question whether a standardized diagnostic threshold even exists. Sex drive varies widely in humans; what one person would regard as a normal sex drive might be deemed to be excessive by some and low by others. The consensus among those who consider this a disorder is that the threshold is met when the behavior causes distress or impaired social functioning.

Associated conditions

Hypersexuality may also be expressed in those with bipolar disorder during periods of mania. People who suffer from bipolar disorder may often display tremendous swings in sex drive, depending on their mood. Sometimes this physiological need for sexual activity is much higher than what they would describe as "normal" and at other times it is far below that..

References

• Carol Groneman, Nymphomania: A History, (London: Fusion Press, 2001)
• Sexual Addiction & Compulsivity: the Journal of Treatment and Prevention, (New York: Brunner/Mazel, 1994-)
• Richard Freiherr von Krafft-Ebing, Psychopathia Sexualis

External links

• The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke - Kluver-Bucy Syndrome
• Persistent Sexual Arousal Syndrome - Language: Dutch and English
• Bipolar Infidelity

Notes

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