What is Hypersexuality? | Compulsive Sexual Behavior

This video answers the question: What is hypersexuality? Hypersexuality is an interesting construct. We don't actually have one agreed-upon definition for it, but there have been many articles written about the construct and their many theories about it. Sometimes hypersexuality is referred to as problematic hypersexuality. We see certain traits with hypersexuality like compulsive sexual behavior, exaggerated sexual behavior, and intense sexual fantasies. These are all part of a construct, not a mental disorder like we would see in a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual. There is no DSM hypersexuality disorder, for example. Hypersexuality appears to affect about 5 – 10% of the general population and it appears to have an onset in early adulthood. There are several associated characteristics with hypersexuality: high sex drive, compulsive sexual behavior, impairment, obsessive focus on sexual stimuli, emotional dysregulation, increased interest in paraphilic activities, decreased life satisfaction, increased contact with the criminal justice system, and increased substance use. There are some symptoms with this construct that are similar to what we see with mental disorders and there are some negative consequences that seem to have similarities with a few mental disorders.
Kingston, D. A., & Firestone, P. (2008). Problematic Hypersexuality: A Review of Conceptualization and Diagnosis. Sexual Addiction & Compulsivity, 15(4), 284–310.
Graham, F. J., Walters, G. D., Harris, D. A., & Knight, R. A. (2016). Is Hypersexuality Dimensional or Categorical? Evidence from Male and Female College Samples. Journal of Sex Research, 53(2), 224.