Sexologists have been describing cases of hypersexuality since the late 1800s.[10] In some cases, the hypersexuality was a symptom of another medical disease, such as Klüver-Bucy syndrome orbipolar disorder, or the side effect of a medication, such as the drugs used to treat Parkinson's disease. In other cases, the hypersexuality was reported to be the primary problem.
Sexologists have not reached a consensus over how best to describe when hypersexuality is the primary problem.[21][22][23] Some researchers assert that such situations represent a literal addiction;[24][25]other researchers assert that such situations represent a literal addiction;[24][25]other researchers assert that such situations represent a type of obsessive-compulsive disorder(OCD) or “OCD-spectrum disorder”; and other researchers assert that it is a disorder of impulsivity. Moreover, some authors assert that there is no such thing as hypersexuality at all[26] and that the condition merely reflects a cultural dislike of exceptional sexual behavior.[5][27]
Consistent with there not being any consensus over what causes hypersexuality,[10] authors have used many different labels to refer to it, sometimes interchangeably, but often depending on which theory they favor or which specific behavior they were studying. Contemporary names include compulsive masturbation, compulsive sexual behavior,[28][29] cybersex addiction, erotomania, “excessive sexual drive”,[30] hyperphilia,[31]hypersexuality,[32][33] hypersexual disorder,[34]problematic hypersexuality,[35] sexual addiction, sexual compulsivity,[36] sexual dependency,[27]sexual impulsivity,[37] “out of control sexual behavior”,[38] and paraphilia-related disorder.[39][40][41] Other, mostly historical, names include Don Juanism, the Messalina complex,[42]nymphomania,[43] and satyriasis.
