Nymphomania

What is it about?

The term nymphomaniac comes from nymph (female deity of mythology and / or name given to the labia minora of the vulva) e mania (which in Latin means folly). According to the definition of the De Mauro Dictionary of the Italian language, nymphomania is a pathological exaggeration of sexual desire in women. This is a fairly rare disorder.

An imprecise notion

Determining what exactly nymphomania is is a delicate task, given that the concept of normality, in matters of sexuality, remains closely linked to social conventions, and given that needs change from one individual to another. According to psychologists and psychiatrists, it is a suffering linked to an unbridled and unfulfilled sexual desire despite the multiplication of sexual relations or the compulsive consumption of pornographic material. But be careful not to confuse it with a passion for the pleasures of the flesh!

This always unsatisfied quest becomes a real addiction and requires real treatment. By now, in fact, the term nymphomania has been replaced by others such as sex addiction or hypersexuality.

The remedies

Psychotherapy: resorting to a specialist to determine the origin of one's behavior can help get rid of the addiction to sex, avoiding feeling guilty.

Support groups: such as alcoholics, bulimics and drug addicts, even those suffering from hypersexuality have associations available to turn to for help. Under the supervision of a therapist, it is proposed to follow a cessation program consisting of 12 phases and discussions with the other participants. This assistance is free and takes place in compliance with absolute anonymity.

To find out more, visit the website of the Italian Association for Research in Sexology (AIRS): www.airs-online.org/.

Good to know: you will be subjected to an initial questionnaire to determine your degree of addiction.

Pharmacological therapies: can be prescribed in order to keep the patient's mood under control in case of depression.

Did you know that?

The masculine of nymphomania is satyriasis, which comes from the term satyr, a semi-deity of Greek mythology.

During the 19th century, Baron Richard Von Kraftt Ebing, an Austro-Hungarian psychiatrist, did not hesitate to speak of nymphomania as a serious, if not fatal, disease.

At the time, women who suffered from an inordinate sexual appetite, judged too ferocious by social norms, were even interned, sexually mutilated or banned from the community.