Sexual mental disorders

Paraphillias are sexually deviant disorders. Recurrent fantasies, urges, or behaviors of a sexual nature that center around children, non-humans (animals, objects, materials), or harming others or oneself, as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (the clinician's diagnostic bible). Many people regard people who display sexual deviancies as monsters because they are frequently associated with abusive sexual practices that result in real victims. Furthermore, many people believe that all sexual deviants are equally bad and repulsive. Neither of these assertions is correct. Even predator child-molesting pedophiliacs are legitimately suffering from mental, emotional, and spiritual disturbances and should be able to participate in mandated treatment. While they are ultimately responsible for their choices (including those that harm others), they should be punished and then closely monitored to prevent further abusive practices. While pedophilia (child molestation) is a particularly heinous form of sexual deviancy, there are other forms of sexual deviancy, such as transvestism and various forms of fetishism, that cause no harm and do not deserve to be mentioned in the same breath.

Following is a list of the paraphillias, each with a brief description:

• The compulsion to show one's private parts to strangers is known as exhibitionism. Exhibitionists, like gamblers, pyromaniacs, and other impulse-driven people, go through periods of increasing anxiety that are only relieved by the 'rush' of exposing themselves to strangers (occasionally accompanied by masturbation).

• Fetishism is the practice of focusing one's sexual energies on a manufactured object rather than another human being. Clothing, such as shoes, underwear, panties, and bras, are frequently used as fetish objects. They could be made of specific materials like leather or rubber. A person with a fetish may find it difficult to achieve orgasm without involving their fetish object in the sexual act (e.g., by getting their partner to wear the fetish object). People who rely on pornography for sexual arousal on a regular basis, despite the fact that it isn't specifically mentioned in the DSM, are probably fetishists.

• Frotteurism is defined as the desire to rub one's body against strangers in a sexual manner. Frotteurism, like exhibitionism and other impulse control disorders, is characterized by a cycle of tension that is released by acting out in 'exciting' ways.

• When a sexually mature adult fantasizes about or engages in sexual behavior with pre-pubescent children, this is referred to as pedophilia. Pedophiles are more likely to favor male or female children (but not both). They may be solely concerned with children's sexuality, or they may be interested in adult sexuality as well. Pedophiles frequently justify their abnormal activity (which may include merely fondling or outright child rape) as instructive and beneficial to the youngster. They can also assume their child victim has tempted them sexually. Threatening the child is a typical tactic used by pedophiles to conceal their predatory sexual conduct. Because the pedophile is frequently the victim child's father or step-parent, or has worked hard to earn the parents' trust, there are often few considered safe persons and locations to whom a child could report their victimization.

• Persons who engage in sexual relations with the goal of causing (sadism) or receiving (masochism) physical and emotional pain, embarrassment, and humiliation are referred to as sexual masochists and sadists.

• When an otherwise 'normal' heterosexual male fantasizes about and/or acts out dressing up in women's attire, it is known as transvestism (Transvestic Fetishism). Cross dressing is often seen to be sexually exciting.

• Voyeurism, often known as 'peeping tom' behavior, is the compulsive dreaming and/or acting out of spying on someone (who is unaware they are being watched) while they are disrobing. This type of conduct is fairly frequent in the general population; nevertheless, it is not diagnosed as a disease until it becomes an obsessive element of a person's sexual practice.