Hypersexuality: The debilitating disorder that made a woman masturbate in her sleep

Sufferers can be plagued by unwanted sexual thoughts

(ljubaphoto/iStock)

In the past, those with extreme sexual urges were cast aside as nymphomaniacs. Nowadays, the disorder has a name: hypersexuality.

The rare and little-understood sexual condition sees the sufferer flooded with unwanted sexual urges. That could include in the middle of a presentation at work, to the deepest moments of sleep. As a result, a person’s insatiable sex drive can cause them to masturbate for hours a day, watch pornography, become dependent on visiting sex workers, and talk about sex obsessively.

Debra Soh, a sex researcher, neuroscientist at York University in Toronto, Canada, who has investigated the phenomenon, explained to The Independent: “Many lose their jobs after these activities leak into their work lives. For example, most will tell me that they are chronically late for work due to staying up the night before, and that they view porn while at work or call in sick because they’d rather be watching it at home.”

Peter Saddington, a sex therapist in Midlands for the relationships charity Relate and chair of the College of Sexual and Relational therapy, recalls treating a patient whose hyper-sexuality caused her to masturbate unknowingly in her sleep. She only found out what she was doing when her husband alerted her.

He told The Independent that hypersexuality is often caused by medication. As a result, sufferers are forced to cope with their unmanageable sex drives in order to treat conditions. Ropinirole, which is used to treat individuals with Parkinson's disease, has been shown to trigger hypersexuality as well as compulsive gambling. Neurological disease such as Alzheimer's, autums, Kluver-Bucy syndrome, and Kleine-Levin syndrome have also been linked to extreme sexual behaviour.

The condition can have knock-on effects for a person’s overall mental health, triggering conditions such as depression and anxiety, he adds.

“It is very debilitating and makes people anxious and adds to mental health difficulties as people can’t understand why they are different.

“One woman I treated was masturbating all the time, even in her sleep. Her partner was told her. She was mortified.

“She didn’t manage to get over it in the time I knew her because it was associated with physical condition she was struggling to manage.”

"She was highly sexual and her body was sending signals she wasn’t consciously thinking about."

A patient's high sex drive can also take its toll on a their relationships, as partners can struggles to deal with their urges.

“It is something you can’t just change,” says Saddington. “It is about acceptance and sometimes about change being managed.”

Hypersexuality is something that generally requires medical intervention, and cannot be treated at home, he added. “It’s like if you break your leg, you don’t try to deal with it yourself. Seek help. Visit a professional.”

“This will help to normalise it and realise it’s not just you. Other people have the problem and you can start the process to help achieve some support.”