What Is Nymphomania?

The term nymphomania is used in informal contexts to refer to sex addiction in women. Know everything about her.
What Is Nymphomania?

Last update: 09 June, 2023

Nymphomania is a condition that has spawned hundreds of myths. Popular beliefs, religion, and cinema have helped to a greater or lesser extent to cultivate them. At present, nymphomania isn’t used as a diagnosis by any serious professional, as other terms such as sex addiction, hypersexuality, or obsessive-compulsive behaviors are preferred.

The term nymphomania appears in the 10th edition of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) along with other conditions such as excessive sexual desire and satyriasis or satiromania. The latter is the other side of nymphomania, simply that it isn’t accompanied by the social stigma that distinguishes the former. Let’s see everything you should know about it.

What is nymphomania?

Nymphomania affects women.
Women with nymphomania may experience some problems due to the constant need for intercourse.

Nymphomania refers to the compulsive sexual behavior that some women experience. It’s an exclusive condition of the female sex. It’s used only in informal contexts and, according to experts, it’s a historical construct that reflects the social idea that was held about the sexuality of women.

Indeed, and at least from the historical point of view, female sexuality has always been conceived around modesty, modest behaviors, and even the repression of desires and pleasure. When a woman didn’t fit these parameters, she was diagnosed with nymphomania (relative to Greek nymphs).

Although it’s a term that’s avoided in medical contexts, specialists warn that nymphomania can be distinguished by three main elements:

  1. A marked increase in the woman’s sex drive (so much that it can become uncontrollable)
  2. An increase in sexual encounters with the partner
  3. Growing trends of promiscuity

This condition isn’t exclusive to heterosexual women, as is often believed, but it can address any type of sexual orientation. Nor is it related to paraphilic behaviors. It isn’t always done for pleasure, or for sexual satisfaction, but generally to end the impulse that arises unexpectedly.

We can say then that the term nymphomania refers to a conduct disorder characterized by an excessive fixation towards sex. Its consequences and symptoms are as powerful as those that cause addiction. However, it’s only considered a problem when it begins to destabilize the life of those who suffer from it.

Causes of nymphomania

Female hypersexuality, female sex addiction, or nymphomania can have multiple causes. Sometimes you can’t establish a direct relationship with behaviors, disorders, or triggers. In others, they can be explained through the following issues.

Childhood trauma

A study published in 2021 in the Journal of Psychosexual Health suggests that child sexual abuse may be a trigger for nympho behavior. Traumas developed during childhood can also lead to behavior of this type in adulthood.

Of course, this requires an external environmental trigger, although at that time it remains dormant within the person. This is something that also happens with other conditions such as phobias, so it’s a viable explanation for some cases.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder

Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a condition characterized by obsessive thoughts that result in compulsive behavior. This disorder, also known as OCD, is often thought to manifest only as an obsession with cleanliness. However, in practice, it can materialize in different ideas and behaviors.

A study published in 2002 in the Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine notes that OCD can also develop as a result of compulsive sexual behaviors. They analyzed patient-reported behavior that is traditionally associated with nymphomania in the company of other non-sexual behaviors. Up to 3% of the population develop OCD during their lifetime.

Bipolar disorder

Bipolar disorder manifests itself, among many other things, through high-risk sexual behaviors. Experts say this can lead to hypersexuality, promiscuity, and fluctuations in sexual behavior. Some evidence suggests that these behavior patterns are more common in women than in men.

Of course, and as in the previous case, it needs to be developed in conjunction with another series of behavior. Nymphomaniacal behaviors alone don’t point to bipolar disorder, but if they manifest with other classic signs of the disorder, a causal relationship could be made.

Chemical imbalances in the brain

Almost all behavior can be explained through processes that are controlled in the brain. Researchers have found that dopamine can contribute to exacerbations of uncontrolled sexual urges. This means we can classify chemical imbalances among the possible causes of nymphomania.

Other possible causes for this behavior are the use of certain medications (as a side effect), epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, a family history of mental health problems, and drug or alcohol abuse. As we already stipulated, sometimes it isn’t possible to find an apparent cause.

Symptoms of nymphomania

Nymphomania affects the social and love area.
Love relationships can be affected by compulsive behaviors.

As with other conditions, nymphomania manifests itself differently in each woman. The three criteria that we established at the beginning can serve as a reference for behavior patterns. To these, we can add the following:

  • Recurring sexual fantasies
  • Inability to control sexual urges (the resulting behavior is uninhibited)
  • Difficulty maintaining stable relationships due to the tendency to promiscuity
  • Lack of emotions when having sex (this is why encounters are often with complete strangers)
  • A release of tension during sex, but sometimes accompanied by a feeling of guilt at the end

The inability to control impulses often manifests without premeditation, which can affect other aspects of life. For example, you can lose your job, reputation, friendships, family support, and so on, due to not being able to control your sex drive.

Treatment options for nymphomania

The above serves as a reference to determine that professional help should be sought. In general, both men and women develop different degrees of interest in sex throughout their lives.

Having a high sex drive isn’t enough to diagnose nymphomania (or hypersexuality), as there’s no pattern or range to distinguish when it’s normal and when it isn’t.

In general, when the behavior affects the person’s life, as well as those around them, preventing them from developing a normal life, then professional help should be considered. At this point, two treatment options can be chosen: psychotherapy (psychodynamic and cognitive behavioral, in most cases) and the use of medication.

The use of certain medications can help alleviate the frequency or level of impulses, although they should always be taken with the endorsement of a professional. Antidepressants and mood stabilizers are an option to consider.

When behavior is affecting the deterioration of social relationships and the stability of the person, you should never hesitate to seek professional help. Although it’s a rare condition, there are many options that can be used to reduce it.



  • Groneman, C. Nymphomania: The historical construction of female sexuality. Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society. 1994; 19(2): 337-367.
  • Levine SB. A modern perspective on nymphomania. J Sex Marital Ther. 1982 Winter;8(4):316-24.
  • Kopeykina, I., Kim, H. J., Khatun, T., Boland, J., Haeri, S., Cohen, L. J., & Galynker, I. I. Hypersexuality and couple relationships in bipolar disorder: a review. Journal of affective disorders. 2016; 195: 1-14.
  • Marengo, E., Martino, D. J., Igoa, A., Fassi, G., Scápola, M., Baamonde, M. U., & Strejilevich, S. A. Sexual risk behaviors among women with bipolar disorder. Psychiatry research. 2015; 230(3): 835-838.
  • Mulligan, A., Webb, M., & Gill, M. A variant of nymphomania in association with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Irish journal of psychological medicine. 2002; 19(3): 96-98.
  • Mujawar, S., Chaudhury, S., Saldanha, D., & Jafar, A. K. Nymphomania Associated With Childhood Sexual Abuse: A Case Report. Journal of Psychosexual Health. 2021: 26318318211013615.

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