An overactive sex drive is a problem that can greatly alter lives and careers. Hypersexuality goes by many different names – compulsive sexual behavior or sexual addiction, as well as nymphomania in women and satyriasis in males, b but the symptoms are the same:
• An intense urge to have sex, yet sexual activity may or may not bring pleasure.
• Sexual urges that are beyond control and that continually put one at risk for sexually transmitted diseases.
• Using sex as a way to escape from feelings of depression, anxiety, loneliness, and stress.
• Continuous risky sexual behavior or behavior that’s not accepted by society, despite the potential consequences to oneself and your family.
Hypersexuality can have serious consequences that go well beyond threatening your sexual health. These include relationship and interpersonal issues, difficulties at work, trouble with the law, a loss of interest in things not sexual, and low self-esteem and despair.
The exact causes of overactive sex drive are unknown, but research shows there may be links between hypersexuality and other mental and physical health problems. Some conditions such as bipolar disorder, dementia, persistent genital arousal disorder, rabies and a rare neurobehavioral condition called Klüver-Bucy syndrome could possibly lead to an overactive sex drive. There is also sexual addiction where a person with an overactive sex drive is obsessed with sex. It may start innocently as an addiction to masturbation, pornography, or even a relationship, but it then progresses to increasingly dangerous behaviors, such as prostitution and sex in public places.
Sexual health problems may be more common than people realise or want to admit. If you think you have a sexual health problem, find the strength to seek treatment. With treatment, you can modify your behaviour and develop a new way of relating to people that isn’t sexual in nature.
Note here that having a high libido is not the same as hypersexuality. From hormonal changes to a healthy and new relationship, many factors can lead to an increase in libido levels. Age also plays an important role in determining the level of sex drive you possess.
Younger adults may be more sexually active than older adults. During puberty, the production of testosterone in adolescent boys is much higher than older men. However, in women, it is quite the opposite. Middle-aged women are said to have a higher sex drive than younger women. Regular exercise, aphrodisiac foods, romance, lack of stress an all be powerful aides to having a healthy sexual drive.
