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Diagnosis of female sexuality was often combined with the Christian religious legacy, which regarded Eve as temptress that led to the downfall of man.
So in clinics, doctors not only treated women for sexual difficulties, but also looked for behavioural traits that would agree with the cultural ideal of a “passionless” woman.
The shift occurred in the 1960s with sex researchers William Masters and Virginia confirming that women had an unlimited capacity to enjoy sex: that they are indeed multiorgasmic and not sexual freaks.
While nymphomania may no longer be a diagnosable mental disorder, there
is no dearth of women, like the 24 year-old, who seek relief from their “excessive” sexual thoughts and desires in clinics even today.
To know more about this we talked to Dr Sharmila Majumdar, India’s first board certified female sexologist from Ichan School of Medicine, US, and a founding member of Vvox.
Dr Sharmila Majumdar: There was clearly an element of gender bias in diagnosing women as nymphomaniacs and subjecting them to horrific treatments. Any person who is hypersexual, man or woman, as long as they are not hurting others or experiencing any negative consequences due to their behaviour should be free of moralistic judgements.
Our society still discourages a woman from being sexually assertive. Statistically, a woman is less likely than a man to seek help for her problematic sexual behaviour, due to shame and stigma. However, having said that, I do come across women in my practice who describe themselves as sex addicts due to what they call their “excessive” sexual desires. It’s estimated that globally around 8 to 12 per cent of those seeking “sexual addiction” treatment are women.