Hypersexuality in the elderly

  In recent years, the work often meet family members or children to consult, 70 – 80-year-old male elderly, spending thousands of dollars a month, every day to buy a variety of sex drugs and take a lot of, call the domestic service to find female nannies, sexual demands. Some even frequently change sex partners, regardless of time and place, do not listen to family members, family members advise them to seek medical treatment, they strongly oppose, lose their temper or go out to live alone, seriously affecting family life, causing family headaches.  For these elderly people, their families should be more concerned about the changes in their lives and physical health, but also pay attention to the psychological changes of the elderly, cultivate their interests and hobbies, encourage them to participate in the activities of the elderly groups, reflecting their social role. We should talk more deeply with the elderly to fully understand his physiological and psychological condition, and if necessary, get a doctor’s examination to determine whether any disease has occurred.  If there are sexual dreams accompanied by orgasm and sudden strong sexual excitement, it is often a sign of some hidden disease and should be alerted. Among the main diseases are infections of the nervous system, such as encephalitis. Traumatic or vascular brain injury, temporal lobe damage, organic dementia, epilepsy, and other central lesions of the brain or hypothalamus or sensitivity to sex hormones, excessive secretion of anterior pituitary gonadotropins or androgens (e.g. pituitary LH-secreting tumors, testicular mesenchymal stromal cell tumors or hyperplasia) can lead to hypersexuality, and they cause the onset of dysfunction of the hypothalamus and limbic system.  These parts of the brain have a direct regulatory role in sexual function, and when damaged can induce hypersexuality. In addition, high doses of male sex hormones in both men and women can cause hypersexuality. Psychiatric disorders such as manic-depressive disorder, cyclic psychosis, schizophrenia, etc. can also cause hypersexuality.  The diseases and factors that cause hypersexuality clinically are: a. Tumors in the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, adrenal cortex and testes can increase the concentration of androgens in the body, thus increasing male libido.  Second, neurological diseases, such as stroke, traumatic brain injury, vascular dementia and epilepsy, etc. These lesions can cause brain dysfunction and weaken the inhibitory function of the central nervous system, affecting the regulation of libido by the limbic system of the brain and the thalamus, making the libido hyperactive.  Third, 20% of patients with hyperthyroidism can occur hypersexuality.  Fourth, some patients with mental disorders, such as mania 60% can occur hypersexuality.  Fifth, the use of a large number of sex hormone drugs, such as the treatment of Parkinson’s disease, schizophrenia and depression drugs, can cause hypersexuality. If the old man has a sudden excessive libido and frequent dreams accompanied by orgasm, he should consider that it may be an early symptom of other diseases and go to the hospital for examination in time.  Do not ignore the manifestations of hypersexuality in elderly men, which can lead to various diseases mentioned above if left untreated.