Paraphilic disorders: what they are, symptoms, causes and treatment

Currently we can find ourselves with very varied sexual tastes, and some of them may even seem strange to us. However, not all those tastes different from the rest and from what is commonly accepted give rise to paraphilic disorders. These paraphilias are understood as those intimate behaviors where pleasure is obtained through a activity other than sexual intercourse in itself, without the need to constitute a behavior threatening.

If you are curious and would like to know those paraphilic behaviors that are part of paraphilic disorders, don't hesitate and keep reading! In this Psychology-Online article we explain what are paraphilic disorders, their symptoms, causes, treatment and prevention.

Index

1. What are paraphilic disorders
2. Symptoms of paraphilic disorders
3. Causes of paraphilic disorders
4. Treatment of paraphilic disorders
5. How to prevent paraphilic disorders

A paraphilic disorder is, according to the DSM-V, a

Therefore, according to the diagnostic criteria proposed by the American Psychologist Association^[1], paraphilia is the presence of repeated and intense sexual fantasies of an excitatory type, of sexual impulses or behaviors that generate discomfort or deterioration, for at least 6 months, at least general grouped into 3 categories:

• non-human objects.
• Suffering or humiliation of oneself or the partner.
• Children or other people who do not consent.

Types of paraphilic disorders

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), are classified as follows:

• exhibitionism disorder
• Fetish disorder.
• Frotteurism disorder.
• Pedophilia disorder.
• Sexual masochism disorder.
• sexual sadism disorder
• Cross-dressing disorder.
• voyeurism disorder
• Unspecified paraphilia.

Other types of paraphilic disorders

Although many more types are known, the DSM-V also takes into account other paraphilias in addition to those that give rise to a paraphilic disorder:

• Zoophilia.
• Coprophilia.
• Necrophilia.
• Hypoxyphilia.
• Telephone eschatology.

The variety of symptoms of the person with paraphilic disorder will depend largely on the type of paraphilia they present. Even so, we find some general symptoms in all of them:

• Contract for sexual services andabuses: people who do not have a partner or who have one but is not willing to fulfill their sexual fantasies, they can request prostitution services or they can even force their victims to perform them against their Will.
• Choice of work depending on the excitatory stimulus: For example, a pedophile may choose jobs involving children, or a person suffering from fetishism work in a store selling women's lingerie.
• Leisure related to the stimulus preferred by the individual: books, movies, photographs, etc.
• Social conflict: It is a consequence against their behavior.
• Intense feelings of guilt, shame, and depression: This happens due to the fact of carrying out unusual sexual activities that are not socially accepted or that they themselves consider immoral.
• sexual dysfunction: difficulties to develop a reciprocal and affective sexual activity.
• personality alteration: This dysfunction is severe enough that a comorbid diagnosis can be made.
• depression symptoms.
• injuries: these occur because of sadistic or masochistic behavior.
• Acquisition of STDs (Sexually Transmitted Diseases): this happens due to not using protection during sexual practices.

some paraphilias can start in childhood or in the early stages of adolescence, although their development is best defined and elaborated in the adolescence and in the first years of adult life, being able to continue throughout the life cycle of the individual.

The alterations tend to become chronic and last for many years. And, although in general the behaviors and fantasies decrease with the passage of time, we can find cases in which these increase in response to stressful psychosocial stimuli, in relation to other mental disorders or the opportunity to practice paraphilia.

Treatment of paraphilic disorders must be multidisciplinary and psychopharmacological treatment must be applied hand in hand with psychological treatment. The psychological treatment per se will vary in some aspects depending on the stimulus that gives rise to the fantasy, in any case, in the treatment we could base ourselves on:

• classical conditioning techniques: mainly with the application of aversive stimuli of extinction.
• Operant and social learning techniques: specifically operant reinforcement with biofeedback, through a phallometer, empathy training and masturbation techniques; and social skills training.
• cognitive techniques: in order to identify perpetuating/conceptual distortions.

On the other hand, pharmacological treatment offers two options:

• hormone treatment: especially for those that present a real danger to society.
• Treatment with psychoactive drugs: An example is fluoxetine, used with the aim of reducing libido.

Since the cause is not entirely clear, we understand that the expression of the symptoms associated with this type of disorder arises from the interaction between genetics and the environment. Thus, it is difficult to determine how to prevent paraphilic disorders without being clear about which genetic and environmental factors are involved and which factors to attack.

Now that you know what paraphilic disorders are, you may be interested in learning more about the Sexual disorders according to the DSM-V.

This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

If you want to read more articles similar to Paraphilic disorders: what they are, symptoms, causes and treatment, we recommend that you enter our category of Clinical psychology.

1. American psychiatric association, (2014). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM – 5. Madrid Spain. Pan American Medical Publishing.

• Frigola, G., Muse, M., (2003). The evaluation and treatment of paraphilic disorders. Journals of Psychosomatic Medicine and Liaison Psychiatry, 65(1), 55-72