This is a severely distressing medical condition where a woman has an intense craving for sex beyond the the normal limit of sexual urge in females. Although it is often used interchangeably with sex addiction, hypersexuality, in the strictest sense of the word, is not sex addiction, but it can lead to sex addiction.
image source
Let me explain....
One can be hypersexual and not be a sex addict. Usually, such a person is very disciplined and often employs available therapies or means to stave off her intense sexual urge.
On the other, sex addiction results from giving into one's sexual cravings. That is, one goes ahead to indulge in sex as often as possible to satisfy one's urge to the point that it becomes impossible to do without it once the person is having the urge for sex.
As some of us may already know, sex, to a very large extent, is considered a pleasurable activity. This means that, people (most people) derive pleasure when they engage in sexual activity.
The feeling of pleasure is often due to the release of the brain's hormone for pleasure known as Dopamine.
image source
It (the pleasure derived from sexual activity) is the same pleasurable experience that is seen and experienced in drug addiction (cocaine, alcohol, etc), food addiction (addiction to some articles of food e.g sugar) and chronic gambling. It is the same brain center that controls all the addictions.
And of course, in sex addiction, just like in drug addition, if the person does not indulge in sexual activity, the person can go barking mad or become totally restless and dysfunctional
DEFINITION OF HYPERSEXUALITY
For academic sake, hypersexuality is defined as a preoccupation with intense sexual fantasies and urges that can lead to plotting, planning and actually partaking in the fulfillment of those urges. The urges and fantasies happen in females and males but am focused on the female gender. You see, this definition may appear nice but it is not, ladies.
This is one serious condition that negatively affects the quality of life of sufferers to the extent of affecting their productivity and the health of their relationships with their hubbys and other people.
That said, there is something I would like to bring to your notice:
That, hypersexuality or sex addiction isn't considered as one until it begins to cripple and disturb one's and/or other people's ability to concentrate or carry out one's daily routines without the interference of those thoughts, urges and cravings.
Am sure your already itching to know the cause(s) of this distressing condition, right?
I'll tell you about it tomorrow.
Thanks for taking time to read this article. Love you!
