Mental health articles

There are two categories of sexual disorders: sexual dysfunctions, which involve a problem in sexual response, and paraphilias, which involve repeated and intense sexual urges, behaviour or fantasies in response to objects or situations that society deems inappropriate. It considers problems that some people experience during the sexual act, focusing on the male problem of failing to achieve an erection and its female ‘equivalent’, known as vaginismus, and considers how these may be treated. It then describes the aetiology and treatment of paedophilia and transvestism. Finally, the chapter considers the problems faced when an individual questions their very sexual identity and wishes to change it: gender identity disorder. By the end of the chapter, you should have an understanding of: The nature and aetiology of erectile dysfunction, vaginismus, paedophilia, transvestism and gender identity disorder The types of interventions used to treat each disorder, and their relative effectiveness.

Tags: disorders, sexual disorders