Generality
Nymphomania is a form of female hypersexuality . This psychological and behavioral disorder manifests itself with an exaggerated accentuation of sexual impulses, such as to assume pathological characteristics.
In the woman who suffers from it, nymphomania involves an insatiable and unrestrained desire to have sex and / or vent her frustration by practicing auto-eroticism .
In the most severe cases, nymphomania turns into a real addiction : the embraces are practiced compulsively, not to feel pleasure or to reproduce, but simply to calm anxiety or avoid engaging in intimate and sentimental relationships .
Thus, sexuality becomes a substitute for love, comparable to other addictions such as alcoholism or drug use. In some cases, nymphomania can be supported by an underlying psychic pathology (from borderline personality disorder to depression). Other times, this form of hypersexuality can be favored by environmental and physiological factors, such as endocrine imbalances and neurological diseases.
Nymphomania must be recognized and addressed with targeted interventions. The most effective strategies for overcoming this disorder include drugs and cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy pathways .
What's this
Nymphomania: what is it?
In women, nymphomania is a form of hypersexuality , which manifests itself in a persistent and increasing mode of sexual behavior, implemented despite the manifestation of negative consequences for oneself and others.
The morbid desire to have a relationship coincides with an increase in sexual activity, in terms of intensity and frequency. If this is not satisfied, nymphomania can lead to venting one's frustration by practicing compulsive masturbation .
The result is a dependence analogous to that which can be had for any type of drug or for alcohol: if the sexual drive is not satisfied, a state of anxiety can take over.
Initially, nymphomania was considered a perversion (in early psychology treatises dealing with the subject we talk about " uterine fury "). Since 1992, the World Health Organization has recognized female hypersexuality as a pathology that triggers an insatiable and perpetually unsatisfied sexual desire.
Did you know that…
" Nymphomania " comes from " ninfa- " (from the Greek " nýmphē ", which means "bride"; "nymph" is also a mythological female deity and is used as an alternative term for the small lips of the vulva) and "- mania ", interpretable as "madness".
In men, the equivalent of nymphomania is satyriasis (or satirism); still in Greek mythology, in fact, the male correspondent of the nymph was the satyr, semi-divinity to which a certain sexual drive was attributed.
Causes
Nymphomania: basic mechanism
From the psychological point of view, nymphomania can be considered as an expression of an anxiety disorder, in relation to stable and rooted attachment relationships, interpreted with a negative or painful meaning . In practice, the woman tends to reduce the interaction with the partner to the sexual aspect, in order to avoid an intimate and sentimental connection deeper, which she would not be able to manage.
In nymphomania, in addition to compulsion and obsession, a SEXUAL DEPENDENCE is thus established: to counteract a state of discomfort, the woman takes refuge in the search for a form of pleasure that can relieve stress and provide an illusion of controlling the difficulties . This results in an excessive seduction, sometimes morbid, and a shameless and hungry libido .
Therefore, sexuality becomes a tool adopted to make one's life emotionally more sustainable. For those suffering from nymphomania, pandering to their own addiction is the fundamental need against which everything else loses meaning and importance, including people who become secondary to their own desire.
Nymphomania: is it a mental disorder?
Currently, nymphomania is not included in the list of diseases described in the " Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders " ( DSM ), prepared by the American Psychiatric Association, as the interpretation of the disorder is not unanimous:
For some experts in the field, the condition is considered a substance addiction, while others believe it may be an expression of an obsessive-compulsive disorder . Some consider nymphomania as one of many ways to fight anxiety or behavioral dysfunction . Others still do not consider this disorder with a pathological meaning, but only as a custom of society .
Nymphomania is present, however, in the ICD classification (International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems) of the World Health Organization, where it is indicated - together with its male correspondent, satyriasis - as a subtype of HYPERSALITY .
Did you know that…
Sexual dependence is a disease that affects both men and women and, up until the third version of the DSM, was classified as satiriasis for some and nymphomania for the others.
Predisposing and / or aggravating factors
The underlying causes of nymphomania are not always easily identifiable, just as the etiology of many other sexual behaviors that differ from the norm is not.
Only in a few cases does the problem affect women who have suffered psychological traumas (eg episodes of physical or sexual violence) or are already suffering from bipolar disorder or other mental illnesses (neurosis, behavior disorders, etc.).
According to some clinicians, nymphomania is comparable to other addictions, on a par with alcoholism and drug addiction; in this case, the sexual act would be used to manage stress or to control the personality and mood disorders affecting the woman.
Other experts, on the other hand, understand nymphomania as a form of obsessive-compulsive disorder, referring to this condition as an expression of compulsion (in this case, of a sexual nature).
Nymphomania could also be interpreted as the product of environmental factors, cultural prejudices and other types of contexts, such as abuses suffered during existence or exposure to sexual content .
Disorders associated with or concomitant with Nymphomania
Nymphomania can sometimes be observed as a symptom of neurosis or in the context of manic syndromes . In some cases, then, this form of hypersexuality is found because of a pathological excitement of an endocrine nature (that is, it depends on a hormonal imbalance) or it can occur following nervous alterations .
Symptoms and Complications
The ways in which nymphomania is manifested can be many: in women who are affected, hypersexuality does not necessarily lead to the same symptoms. Regardless of the existence of a dysfunction, it should be remembered, in fact, that female sexual desire and contentment are influenced by various factors, among which the psychic and relational components are predominant. For this reason, in nymphomania, the frequency, intensity and sexual behavior adopted can be unpredictable and vary depending on some partners.
Nymphomania: how does it manifest itself?
In general, nymphomania occurs with:
- Pathological impulse to have sex
- Female sexual desire is excessive and characterized by a state of persistent and hardly satisfying excitement;
- The embrace is impersonal, not at all engaging: the nymphomaniac is detached and focused on herself; to indulge her sexual addiction, the woman does not need a stable relationship, but an ordinary man.
- Complete loss of inhibitor brakes
- Nymphomania involves a woman's ability to have sex, in any place and moment, in a completely shameless way, to satisfy an irrepressible drive. This results in the exploitation or continuous search for a sexual partner.
- "Need" to reach orgasm, with two different meanings:
- Some women easily reach orgasm and are unsatisfactory, in the sense that they need to try it as often as possible;
- Other women look for orgasm in a spasmodic way, without ever reaching it.
Consequently, in order to try to satisfy his insatiable drive, the need for:
- Repeat the sexual act, until exhaustion, usually of the partner;
- Looking for a new sexual partner (note: the transition from one man to another is due to the belief of the nymphomaniac that the dissatisfaction is caused by the partner and not by his psychological distress).
Direct consequences of these behaviors are the promiscuity and the poor consideration of the partner, which is devalued to a simple sexual object .
With the reiteration of this scheme, after an embrace, the woman is restless and experiences a sense of melancholy.
Platonic nymphomania
A particular variant of nymphomania is the Platonic one. This disorder causes women to practice above all a compulsive masturbation, accompanied by strong erotic fantasies .
Possible consequences of Nymphomania
Nymphomania leads to the deterioration of emotional, family, social and work relationships. Over time, the woman may be unable to have healthy and stable romantic relationships, as well as having repercussions in daily activities.
In some cases, nymphomania is progressive, ie it increases in intensity, until it reaches a form of saturation, understood as a zeroing of sexual satisfaction itself. In practice, the sexual impulse replaces the pleasure of seduction and the choice of a partner does not take place on the basis of an attractive criterion, but only to satisfy one's desire.
At other times, this form of hypersexuality pushes those who suffer to vary their usual sexual relationships : in order to satisfy their instinct, the nymphomaniac woman seeks ever more intensely the embraces tending to perverse or obscene . Alternatively, nymphomania finds expression in masturbation, exhibitionism, voyeurism, sadomasochistic practices and dependence on pornographic materials .
The consequences induced by nymphomania include:
- Stress;
- Nervous breakdown;
- Decrease in physical performance;
- Chronic fatigue;
- Sleep disorders;
- Poor concentration;
- Decrease in cognitive skills (such as creativity).
The woman suffering from nymphomania can also develop personality and mood disorders, such as:
- Anxiety;
- Oppression and frustration;
- Apathy and depression;
- Fall of self-esteem (self-depreciation);
- Sadness;
- Aggression;
- Restlessness;
- Social isolation.
Over time, physical consequences can also occur, such as:
- Sexual dysfunctions (eg anorgasmia);
- STDs ;
- Recurrent urinary tract infections .
Diagnosis
Nymphomania must be contextualized with a psychological-psychiatric support .
Preliminary evaluation is essential to understand the reasons behind the discomfort and to frame the problem within the woman's life history, identifying the meaning of this behavior and quantifying its scope.
To remember
Female hypersexuality (nymphomania) is not to be confused with active sexual desire . This disorder is characterized, in fact, by a repeated failure to control intense and persistent impulses, which lead to repeated sexual behavior.
To be clear, in the life of the nymphomaniac, sex becomes a central element, to the point of neglecting one's own interests, daily activities and responsibilities, despite the obvious adverse consequences.
Treatment
Nymphomania can be tackled with different therapeutic options, even in combination with each other.
These approaches include:
- Psychotherapy (traditional and support groups);
- Management of coexisting mental and physical disorders (eg depression, personality disorders, etc.);
- Medications prescribed by your doctor, such as antidepressants and mood stabilizers.
In extreme cases, nymphomania can also be treated by hospitalization in specialized clinics .
Psychotherapy
Nymphomania is usually treated with individual or group psychotherapy . The treatment aims to work on the causes of the disorder, to return the woman to have a healthy relationship with sexuality and improve intimate and sentimental relationships .
Individual psychotherapy offers the means to control the uncontrollable need to practice and think about sex, acting on the adoption of alternative behaviors and on the vicious circle that feeds nymphomania.
Group psychotherapeutic interventions are implemented to alleviate the feelings of guilt associated with hypersexual conduct. The path is also useful to support the woman who suffers from nymphomania in pursuing the prescribed drug therapy.
drugs
In the management of nymphomania, the pharmacological treatment indicated by a psychiatrist can be combined with psychotherapeutic interventions. Medicines are prescribed to reduce libido and / or control symptoms of associated diseases, such as depression and anxiety, and include: benzodiazepines, tricyclic antidepressants, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOI ).
