Paraphilias are persistent and recurrent sexual interests, urges, fantasies, or behaviors of marked intensity involving objects, activities, or even situations that are atypical in nature.
The most common paraphilias are pedophilia (sexual focus on children), exhibitionism (exposure of genitals to strangers), voyeurism (observing private activities of unaware victims), and frotteurism (touching or rubbing against a nonconsenting person).
The chapter on paraphilic disorders includes eight conditions: exhibitionistic disorder, fetishistic disor- der, frotteuristic disorder, pedophilic disorder, sexual masochism disorder, sexual sadism disorder, transvestic disorder, and voyeuristic disorder.
Fetishes are nontraditional sexual interests or behaviors (kinks) that are, for a particular individual, a deep and abiding (and possibly even necessary) element of sexual arousal and activity. Paraphilias are fetishes that have escalated in ways that have resulted in negative life consequences.
Causes of paraphilias
Imbalance in certain brain chemicals called neurotransmitters for e.g. dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine may cause compulsive sexual behaviour. These are mainly feel-good chemicals, which also regulate mood.
The most common paraphilias are pedophilia (sexual focus on children), exhibitionism (exposure of genitals to strangers), voyeurism (observing private activities of unaware victims), and frotteurism (touching or rubbing against a nonconsenting person).
Though there is no known cure for these conditions, paraphilias can be effectively managed using a multimodal treatment approach. This may include the use of psychotherapeutic and pharmacological treatment interventions, including antiandrogen medications.
It should be noted, however, that generally speaking, the paraphilias involve a disorder of sexual aim, involving the object of one's sexual interest, and the hypersexual disorders involve an increase in the strength of one's sexual drive towards otherwise conventional objects.
Common Characteristics
Paraphilias all have in common distressing and repetitive sexual fantasies, urges, or behaviors. These fantasies, urges, or behaviors must occur for a significant period of time and must interfere with either satisfactory sexual relations or everyday functioning if the diagnosis is to be made.
Paraphilias are psychiatric disorders characterized by deviant and culturally non-sanctioned sexual fantasies, thoughts, and/or behaviors. A proportion of these individuals may also suffer from symptoms of mental illness that can go unrecognized.
Mild paraphilias and sub-diagnostic atypical sexual interests and fantasies may be managed with psychotherapies such as cognitive-behavioral therapy. For paraphilic disorders, however, medications should be a mainstay of treatment.
sexual interest and arousal focused on an activity that involves an unwilling individual rather than a consenting partner. Examples include exhibitionism and frotteurism.
Most paraphilias are not harmful
If the activity is interfering with a healthy relationship, if the partner has not consented, if it is illegal, and if it is becoming magnified – causing significant distress – it may be time to seek help.
n. a paraphilia characterized by sexual attraction to trees. The person may have actual sexual contact with trees, may venerate them as phallic symbols, or both. Also called dendrophily.
Paraphilias are frequent, intense, sexually arousing fantasies or behaviors that involve inanimate objects, children or nonconsenting adults, or suffering or humiliation of oneself or the partner.
Greater male fragility and sensitivity to stressful prenatal environments may explain why men are more likely than women to exhibit paraphilias.
Paraphilic disorder was associated to childhood physical abuse, sexual abuse and male caregiver psychological abuse (Davis & Knight, 2019).
n. an abnormally low level of sexual behavior. Hyposexual individuals may show no sex drive or interest in sexual activity. —hyposexual adj.
Results: Testosterone has a primary role in controlling and synchronizing male sexual desire and arousal, acting at multiple levels.
If rape is the only way for an individual to get sexual satisfaction, it meets the criteria of paraphilia, i.e. a disorder of sexual preference. The correct technical term is "biastophilia".
Paraphilias are behaviors likely resulting from an interaction between genetic and psychosocial factors as well as additional factors such as impaired inhibition, for instance due to substance abuse or decreased intelligence.
Valproic acid is the most widely used agent in its class. It is modestly effective and generally well tolerated. It is chemically unrelated to other drugs that treat seizure disorders.
It is also not clear from these views why many paraphilic interests, and especially many paraphilias and paraphilic disorders, are much more common in men than in women. One possible factor affecting male's higher rate of paraphilias is anxiety, because anxiety can potentiate sexual arousal in men.
Based on the available science, we believe there is not sufficient evidence to support the categorization of asexuality as a psychiatric condition (or symptom of one) or as a disorder of sexual desire. There is some evidence that a subset of self-identified asexuals have a paraphilia.
When people mutually agree to engage in them, unusual sexual behaviors that cause no harm may be part of a loving and caring relationship. However, when sexual behaviors cause distress or harm or interfere with a person's ability to function in daily activities, they are considered a paraphilic disorder.