PSYX 340 Psychological Disorders · Unit 2: Mood, suicide, body and addiction · on Exam 2
2.8 Sexual dysfunctions, paraphilic disorders and gender variations
Study notes for Sexual dysfunctions, paraphilic disorders and gender variations in PSYX 340 Psychological Disorders at Montana State University: the big ideas, a worked example, common mistakes and an exam tip. The same topic has endless practice questions and flashcards in Mathub.
Big ideas
- The human sexual response cycle (Masters and Johnson, with Kaplan adding desire): desire, excitement (arousal), orgasm and resolution. Sexual dysfunctions disrupt a phase: desire (male hypoactive sexual desire disorder, female sexual interest/arousal disorder), excitement (erectile disorder), orgasm (delayed ejaculation, female orgasmic disorder, premature ejaculation) and pain (genito-pelvic pain/penetration disorder). Most require about 6 months and significant distress.
- Causes mix biological factors (hormones, blood flow, medications such as SSRIs, alcohol), psychological factors (performance anxiety, the “spectator role”, depression) and sociocultural factors (relationship problems, culture and trauma).
- Treatment: sex therapy combines education, reducing performance anxiety through sensate focus, communication training, and specific techniques; medications such as sildenafil treat erectile disorder.
- A paraphilia is an intense, recurring atypical sexual interest; it becomes a paraphilic disorder only when it causes the person distress or impairment, or involves harm or risk of harm to others (such as non-consenting people), usually for at least 6 months. Examples include voyeuristic, exhibitionistic, frotteuristic and pedophilic disorders.
- Gender dysphoria is distress from a marked incongruence between one’s experienced gender and assigned gender lasting at least 6 months. Being transgender or gender-diverse is not itself a disorder; the diagnosis centers on distress, and it remains debated. Care may include psychotherapy, social transition and gender-affirming medical care.
Worked example
A man has an unusual but harmless sexual interest that involves only consenting adults; it causes him no distress and does not affect his work or relationships. Is this a paraphilic disorder?
Show the solution
No. It may be a paraphilia, but it becomes a paraphilic disorder only when it causes the person distress or impairment, or involves harm or risk of harm to others. Neither is true here.
Common mistakes
- Treating a paraphilia and a paraphilic disorder as the same thing.
- Calling being transgender a mental disorder. DSM-5-TR’s gender dysphoria centers on distress, not identity.
- Placing erectile disorder in the desire phase. It is an excitement-phase dysfunction.
Exam tipMatch each dysfunction to its phase of the response cycle; that single table answers most questions on sexual dysfunctions.
Keep going in Mathub
Mathub is free for Montana State students: an endless quizzer with worked explanations, one-question lessons, flashcards, exam prep checklists, the class calendar with every deadline, a grade calculator and a study board for PSYX 340.