5 symptoms of nymphomania to identify this sexual disorder

The term nymphomania is popularly used to refer to women with high sexual desire or who perform the sexual act in excess. Currently, however, the most appropriate nomenclature is Compulsive Sexual Behavior Disorder. To learn more about symptoms and treatment, follow the information from psychologist and sex therapist Gabriela Vitor (CRP 01/18018):

What is nymphomania?

Gabriela explains that the expression nymphomania is used to “classify women who have a high sexual desire” or even to refer to the excessive performance of the sexual act. “We also have the term satyriasis, in the case of men who exhibit the same compulsive behavior. But nymphomania always stood out, mainly because it was about women who had a high sexual desire and sexual behavior outside of social standards”, she comments.

For the psychologist, it is necessary to avoid “the trivialization of this term as a form of repression and judgment of female sexuality”. In the same way, it is also necessary to avoid the opposite movement: “the romanticization of female sexualization”.

Nymphomania or Compulsive Sexual Behavior Disorder?

According to Gabriela, the terms nymphomania and satyriasis are no longer used. The sex therapist explains: “in 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) made changes to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) regarding Nymphomania and, today, the nomenclature used is Compulsive Sexual Behavior Disorder (CBSD). ), taking the focus off only one genre”.

With this change, nymphomania came to be considered a mental disorder, in the “impulse control disorders” category, which encompasses all dysfunctional sexual behaviors. The psychologist highlights that one of these behaviors is hypersexuality, “which is characterized by excessive sexual desire and activity, causing damage to the healthy functioning of the individual”.

Symptoms of Nymphomania

As for the symptoms of nymphomania, the sex therapist comments that they are related “to a difficulty in controlling intense and recurrent sexual impulses and behaviors, which leads the person to practice the sexual act compulsively”. Check out more details about the signs of this disorder below:

• Lack of impulse control: Nymphomania is characterized by impulsive and dysfunctional behavior. Gabriela explains: “It may be that for you, masturbating once a day or having sex every day are already symptoms of Compulsive Sexual Behavior Disorder (CSD), but for someone else, this is not enough, and not necessarily there is a problem in both situations”.
• Compulsive sexual intercourse: The therapist comments that when it comes to sexual intercourse, compulsion leads to “a constant, repetitive, and dysfunctional frequency of sexual behaviors, thoughts, and urges.”
• Intense and recurrent sexual behaviors: the psychologist clarifies that “thinking about sex a lot, having sex with a lot of frequency and with several people, or masturbating frequently are not conclusive signs for you to diagnose yourself as someone who exhibits compulsive sexual behaviors”. The evaluation of a psychiatrist or psychologist is essential. For Gabriela, “sex is not just the sexual act, but also its entire social construction on the subject”.
• Harm and suffering: Gabriela explains that the difficulty in controlling sexual impulses “causes damage and suffering in various sectors of an individual’s life, such as in their interpersonal relationships, at work and even in their personal growth”.
• Searching for quick pleasure: for the psychologist, the compulsive behaviors that characterize the disorder “are consequences of a quick search for pleasure and relief, but which cause damage to the mental and physical health of individuals”.

Finally, the therapist warns: “each person is particular, so avoid comparisons!”. So it can be healthy not to have sex every day, “because sex is also a mental process, but it’s also healthy to do it every day, masturbate or spend a lot of time thinking about sex,” she explains. The psychologist also recalls that “women are sexual too, but they don’t need to be constantly willing”.

How to treat nymphomania

Gabriela guides that the main treatment is Psychotherapy, with a Psychology professional specializing in Sexual Therapy. The objective is “to help in the control of compulsive behaviors and in the identification of triggers that generate anxiety”, in addition to “understanding the entire social and biological context, the experiences of the individual and their individual construction about sex and sexuality, because each one of us is the result of a set of factors”, he comments.

The psychologist highlights that sex therapy is very important in this process. According to her, “there are specific techniques, in addition to being an approach that will present solutions based on the study of sexuality and the sexual act”.

In some cases, as the sex therapist explains, the intervention of a psychiatrist is necessary to optimize the treatment. And he ends with a piece of advice: “There are many ways to enjoy life. Seek to know yourself and discover healthy ways to reach pleasure!”

Questions clarified? Now, you already know that the best term for nymphomania is Compulsive Sexual Behavior Disorder. Take the opportunity to check out how sex therapy works and understand when you should seek professional help.