Satyriasis: what it is, symptoms, causes and treatment

Satyriasis is a psychological disorder in men that causes an exaggerated desire for sex, without an increase in the amount of sexual hormones.

Generally, this desire leads men to have frequent relationships with several different partners, as well as to practice masturbation several times a day, but without ever feeling the pleasure and satisfaction they are looking for.

Just as nymphomania is only used to describe women with the same disorder, satyriasis is only used in the case of men. Learn how to recognize the symptoms of nymphomania.

Main symptoms

The main symptoms of satyriasis are:

• Frequent changes of sexual partners;
• Constant desire to have sexual intercourse;
• Excessive masturbation or pornography during the day;
• Having several one-night relationships with strangers or over the phone or internet;
• Difficulty feeling pleasure or complete satisfaction after intercourse;
• Time spent on sexual fantasies or behaviors interferes with everyday non-sexual activities.

In some cases, the ‘nymphomaniac’ man may even have a strong desire to participate in sexual activities considered incorrect by society, such as voyeurism, sadism or even pedophilia.

It is also common for men to have one or more sexually transmitted diseases, not because of the high number of partners, but because during intercourse it is common to forget to use a condom due to the great desire they feel.

It is worth remembering that many of these characteristics are common in young people during adolescence, however, this does not mean that they are sex addicts, since the symptoms are caused by sudden hormonal changes, which does not happen in adult men with satyriasis. Therefore, the diagnosis should always be made by a psychologist.

Possible causes

There is no specific cause for the appearance of satyriasis in men, however, it is believed that this disorder may appear as a response from the body to reduce stress levels through sexual activity.

Therefore, it is more common in people who have difficulty regulating their emotions or who have problems related to abuse or trauma, for example.

Furthermore, men who suffer from other psychological problems, such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, may also have excessive sexual desire.

How to confirm the diagnosis

The diagnosis should always be made by a psychologist through evaluation of the man’s history. Therefore, whenever possible, it is important to bring a friend or family member to the consultation, so that they can report what they see or feel about the situation.

How the treatment is carried out

The first step in treating sex addiction is to identify whether there is any other psychological disorder that may be causing excessive sexual desire. If this is the case, the psychologist can guide individual and group psychological therapy sessions or even recommend a psychiatrist to prescribe medication, if necessary.

In other cases, treatment is usually carried out only through therapy sessions, specifically cognitive-behavioral therapy, but there may also be rarer cases in which it may be necessary to resort to medications with a sedative or tranquilizing effect that allow the man to release stress, without having to resort to excessive sexual relations, for example.

If there is an associated sexual disease, such as HIV, syphilis or gonorrhea, treatment for the specific disease is usually also started.