Understanding the case of sexual compulsion or nymphomania is necessary to be able to assess the condition. An individual who presents with a hypersexual behavior is considered to have a mental illness that needs psychiatric treatment due to his unhealthy state.
Sexual labels and diagnoses are inherently based upon, and inseparable from, the current sexual values of the culture. — David J. Ley Ph.D.
What Is Nymphomania
Although nymphomania is a general term that applies to both men and women, it is perceived to be popular with women who desire sex with or without getting the pleasure of doing it. It is where they develop an extreme desire to have sexual intercourse or to indulge in the act of excessive masturbation. As a matter of fact, not thinking about it is difficult at some point. In some cases, it is considered normal and healthy due to the benefits of sex. However, the obsession sometimes leads a person to obtain behavioral complications when he or she immorally responds to the act.
Troubles With Nymphomania
Shame is like a thick coating of black tar that sits on top of what would be a natural and healthy sexual desire and arousal response. The natural responses are still there, but they are buried beneath the shame, which prevents the natural desire and arousal from surfacing. — Rachel Keller, LCSW-C
Though sex is a necessity and beneficial to human development, mental health professionals are having quite a hard time differentiating healthy sexual behaviors from nymphomania. Too much activity and sexual desire drive a person to create a psychological imbalance that can dangerously lead to sexual madness (commonly known as an intensified performance of sex). It hinders a woman to have a sense of control over her body and act as if excessive sexual intercourse is a top priority.
In a more complicated case, the potential symptoms of sexual compulsion may lead to undesirable emotional discomfort where a person will become dependent on the act of having sex. Sometimes, too much indulgence can change the brain function where it will only focus on the involvement in such sexual situations. Aside from that (though not commonly applied to all individuals), nymphomania is said to be an altering game-changer in a person’s emotional aspects. He sees sex as an escape from negative emotions such as stress, sadness, anxiety, shame, and depression.
I would say it is likely that poor self-esteem and feelings of emptiness and inherent unlovability may very well have been a driving force in such behavior, and that her hypersexuality, and its consequences, though probably engaged in to boost her ego, continually eroded her self-esteem. — Stephen A. Diamond Ph.D.
Not only does nymphomania give a person an unhealthy mental state, but it also affects the overall health balance of a person. It brings a significant risk of attaining sexually transmitted disease due to the frequent exposure to sex (either on multiple partners, strangers, prostitutes, or with the use of unsanitized pleasurable toys). Furthermore, hypersexual behavior is considered to have a link to damaging activities such as:
- Pedophilia – a sexual desire for children
- Voyeurism – the enjoyment of watching someone having sex or just being naked
- Sexual Sadism – an act of having arousal when psychological and physical suffering is present
- Exhibitionism – compulsion of publicly displaying of genital
- Frotteurism – the urge of touching someone’s private parts without their consent
There’s no proven source that indicates a diagnosis of nymphomania due to the natural representation of sex. However, signs and symptoms can be enough factors to determine if a person needs help or not. A person that may have this kind of mental disorder can undergo counseling or any form of potentially effective psychotherapies. In line with that, they can also take medications with the help of mood stabilizers to obtain a simultaneous treatment.