Doctors in China report being puzzled by the case of a young woman who experiences uncontrollable orgasms multiple times daily, leaving the 20-year-old in a constant state of arousal. Jing Yan and Dafang Ouyang of Peking University Sixth Hospital in Beijing described these symptoms in a study published in AME Case Reports, noting they are “characterized by recurrent and spontaneous orgasmic experiences.” For five years, the unnamed 20-year-old experienced these episodes without sexual stimulation, leading experts to diagnose her with persistent genital arousal disorder (PGAD).

While this condition might sound enjoyable, continuous pleasure can be highly distressing, causing “significant impairment in psychosocial well-being and daily functioning,” according to the study. This was true for the patient, who reported extreme distress and was unable to attend school or work, or maintain relationships. Unfortunately, receiving a PGAD diagnosis took a considerable amount of time.

Around the same period, the young woman also began exhibiting increased sensitivity, coupled with peculiar delusions such as believing others could read her thoughts. This led to her hospitalization a year later, where she was treated for depressive and psychotic symptoms.

Despite various treatments, including anti-epileptic and psychiatric medications, the patient’s symptoms persisted, causing her to attribute her constant orgasms to external stimuli. By the time she eventually sought hospital care, her condition had worsened to the extent that she struggled to describe her symptoms without being interrupted by an orgasm.

Neurologists initially ruled out epilepsy using EEG monitoring and other tests. Furthermore, physical examinations revealed no structural abnormalities in her brain or reproductive organs that could explain her persistent arousal. Doctors ultimately diagnosed her with PGAD after a course of antipsychotic drugs seemed to reduce both her orgasmic episodes and her delusions.

After several weeks of treatment, her condition improved significantly, allowing her to return to work and resume a social life. However, discontinuing treatment consistently led to the return of her symptoms with increased intensity.

Unfortunately, PGAD remains largely unrecognized. First formally described in 2001, this condition is estimated to affect 1% of women in the US but is often underdiagnosed, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Potential causes range from issues with nerves and blood flow to certain antidepressant medications, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).

Some researchers have also connected the condition to an imbalance of dopamine, a neurotransmitter crucial for the brain’s arousal and reward systems. Administering the aforementioned antipsychotics likely suppressed this dopamine response, thereby alleviating her arousal symptoms. Unfortunately, there is currently no definitive cure for PGAD.