Dangerous indulgence

It is said that excess of everything is bad. And the same holds true even for sex. There is no two ways about the fact that sexual expression is a natural part of a well-rounded life.

But the problem arises when one has an overwhelming urge for sex and he/she is intensely preoccupied with it to the extent that even his/her health, job, relationships or other areas of life are adversely affected by it. This sexual inclination in women is termed as Nymphomania. Therefore, a normally enjoyable behaviour is taken to an extreme end.

Giving an insight of this problem, Dr Deepak Raheja, a senior consultant psychiatrist at Paras Hospital, says," The intent of the women suffering from this disorder is usually to make her partner as a mere object of desire".

Blast from the past
Elaborating on the causes that can lead to this behaviour, Dr Deepak says, "This problem usually has an emotional origin which calls for the treatment of the underlying emotional problem in order to cure the condition. In some cases, the fact that the person has been subjected to sexual abuse or her sexuality has been repressed in a big way are also the reasons that can lead to this."

Know the indicators
Now once the person is diagnosed with this problem, there are various symptoms that the concerned person exhibits. Giving details of the same, Dr Deepak says," A woman suffering from this uncontrollable behaviour tends to have sexual contacts with any person, irrespective of his age and appearance. That's because Nymphomaniacs use sex as an escape from other problems, such as loneliness, depression, anxiety or stress. Due to this, they generally avoid emotional involvement in their sexual relationships. Also, because these women want gross sex, the foreplay in their sexual encounters is diminished or restricted. "

It is natural that the there are bound to be problems between a Nymphomaniac and her partner. To begin with, they often have trouble establishing and maintaining emotional intimacy.u00a0 The reason being the fact that Nymphomaniacs are unlikely to achieve emotional fulfilment as they feel that lives are empty.

The right healing
It is said that realising that one is suffering from any disease or problem is the first step towards its cure. And similar is the case with women suffering from this problem. According to Dr Deepak, " In most of the cases, seeking professional becomes indispespensable because that is how one can go about the treatment in a very planned and systematic way in order to enhance one's personality holistically. Another reason for that is that efforts to resist sexual compulsions by using sheer willpower are often unsuccessful because the urges are so powerful."