Hypersexuality

Hypersexuality, or excessive sexual drive, are medical terms for a desire to engage in sexual activities^[1] at a level that is considered abnormally high in relation to normal development or culture and at a level that causes distress or serious problems for the person affected or to persons associated with them. It is considered to be a psychological disorder characterized by a hyperactive sex desire and an obsession with sex, and lowered sexual inhibitions. Hypersexuality in women has historically been known as nymphomania or furor uterinus, while in men, the disorder has been known as satyriasis.

In the American Psychiatric Association's classification of mental disorders, DSM-IV, the term "hypersexuality" has replaced the concepts of "nymphomania" and "'satyriasis", which are no longer listed. However, in the World Health Organization's International Classification of Diseases (ICD), which is used globally, satyriasis (for males) and nymphomania (for females) are still used in most recent version of that document, ICD-10, as subdivisions of the diagnosis "excessive sexual drive" (code F52.7).^[2] For the etymology of the words, see nymph and satyr.

Associated conditions

People who suffer from bipolar disorder may often display tremendous swings in sex drive depending on their mood. As currently defined in the DSM, hypersexuality is a criterion symptom of hypomania and mania in bipolar disorder and mania in schizoaffective disorder.

Several neurological conditions such as Alzheimer's disease,^[3] various types of brain injury,^[4] Klüver-Bucy syndrome,^[5] Kleine-Levin syndrome,^[6] and many more neuro-degenerative diseases can cause hypersexual behavior. Importantly, at times, drugs such as methamphetamine could contribute to hypersexual behavior.

See also

• Asexuality
• Persistent sexual arousal syndrome
• Sexual addiction

References

External links

• The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke - Kluver-Bucy Syndrome