but I'm sure it's safe to rule out a self-diagnosis.


rocktivity

as it applies to both men and women.

If posters do not believe how bad "nymphomaniac" is as a descriptive, check the synonyms (via MacMillanDictionary.com)
nymphomaniac, tramp, whore, tart, slag, slut, trollop, swinger, vamp, scarlet woman

what's not. Some people have very strong libidos, others fairly weak ones. I guess we should apply the same criteria that we use for substance abuse, namely is it (the behavior) negatively affecting the person's everyday life, or those around them?

if it interferes with the normal functions of those round you.

For Georges Simenon (assuming he wasn't a liar) his sexual drive did not interfere with him but did interfere with those round him.

In a "you know it when you see it" kind of way.

And it was like watching drug addicts. I was actually surprised, I didn't realize how bad it got.

HOWever, the term "nympho" is still used as a put down for women, almost interchangeable with "slut"

When a women has very strong sex drive-- she is often derided for it. The article does point out this standard isn't the same for men. A woman should be able to have multiple sexual partners or frequent sex without shame or stigma.

My standard of evaluation is basically do no harm, not to yourself, not to others. Be safe, be kind.

And I hope you had a nice Christmas.

I had to work, but it's ok.

I could be there for people stuck in a hospital for Christmas, and that's important




I hope yours was great!

The male equivalent terms, Satyriasis, gynocomania and satyromania, are rarely, if ever, used. Hypersexuality is more egalitarian and does not imply it is an illness exclusive to women

This was an uncommon experience, for we men to hear a woman speak of this. Men usually joke about how frequently they do it, but women don't discuss it (at least among the menfolk).

Note that I worked in a mostly-male environment - an engineering department - the mix was about 200 men to maybe 12 women.

She was a very bright engineer, and what one would refer to as a 'hot shit' for her sense of humor and strong personality. Everyone liked her. We didn't think of her as anything like a nymphomaniac, just an exceptionally honest and outspoken person. She was also quite attractive. She never dated men from work (which always seemed like a wise policy to me) although several had asked her out after her divorce.

While I worked with her, for a period of maybe 12 years before she moved out of state, she divorced her husband and dated what would be considered a typical amount for a single mom - maybe one or two guys in a couple of years. She never remarried.

I think that maybe back in the day she would have been judged negatively, but this was a highly educated group of people. We all liked her and wished her well when she moved on. I'm still in contact with her through FB.