Paraphilias involve sexual arousal to atypical objects, situations, and/or targets (eg, children, corpses, animals). However, some sexual activities that seem unusual to another person or a health care practitioner do not constitute a paraphilic disorder simply because they are unusual. People may have paraphilic interests but not meet the criteria for a paraphilic disorder.
The unconventional sexual arousal patterns in paraphilias are considered pathologic disorders only when both of the following apply:
They are intense and persistent.
They cause significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning, or they harm or have the potential to harm others (eg, children, nonconsenting adults).
People with a paraphilic disorder may have an impaired or a nonexistent capacity for affectionate, reciprocal emotional and sexual intimacy with a consenting partner. Other aspects of personal and emotional adjustment may be impaired as well.
The pattern of disturbed erotic arousal is usually fairly well developed before puberty. At least 3 processes are involved:
Anxiety or early emotional trauma interferes with normal psychosexual development.
The standard pattern of arousal is replaced by another pattern, sometimes through early exposure to highly charged sexual experiences that reinforce the person’s experience of sexual pleasure.
The pattern of sexual arousal often acquires symbolic and conditioning elements (eg, a fetish symbolizes the object of arousal but may have been chosen because the fetish was accidentally associated with sexual curiosity, desire, and excitement).
Whether all paraphilic development results from these psychodynamic processes is controversial, and some evidence of altered brain functioning and functional anatomy is present in some paraphilias (eg, pedophilia).
In most cultures, paraphilias are far more common among males. Biologic reasons for the unequal distribution may exist but are poorly defined.
Dozens of paraphilias have been described, but most are uncommon or rare. The most common are
Others include sexual masochism disorder Sexual Masochism Disorder Sexual masochism is intentional participation in an activity that involves being humiliated, beaten, bound, or otherwise abused to experience sexual excitement. Sexual masochism disorder is... read more and sexual sadism disorder Sexual Sadism Disorder Sexual sadism is infliction of physical or psychologic suffering (eg, humiliation, terror) on another person to stimulate sexual excitement and orgasm. Sexual sadism disorder is sexual sadism... read more .
Some paraphilias (such as pedophilia) are illegal and may result in imprisonment and lifetime registration as a sex offender. Some of these offenders also have significant personality disorders Overview of Personality Disorders Personality disorders in general are pervasive, enduring patterns of thinking, perceiving, reacting, and relating that cause significant distress or functional impairment. Personality disorders... read more (eg, antisocial, narcissistic), which make treatment difficult.
Often, more than one paraphilic disorder is present.
