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Philosophical issues in the paraphilias.

Nancy N Potter¹

¹Department of Philosophy, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA.

Current Opinion in Psychiatry

|September 25, 2013

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Philosophical debates shaped the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) 5

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Area of Science:

Philosophy of psychiatry
Sexuality studies
Mental health nosology

Background:

The classification of paraphilias in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) 5 was contentious.
Understanding paraphilias involves complex philosophical considerations.

Purpose of the Study:

To examine the philosophical issues underpinning debates surrounding paraphilias in the DSM 5.
To analyze current literature and historical controversies in the psychiatric understanding of paraphilias.

Main Methods:

Philosophical analysis of debates and literature concerning paraphilias.
Review of nosological, ethical, and epistemological dimensions of paraphilia classification.

Main Results:

The DSM 5's resolution of controversies involved evidence, disorder theories, and normative assumptions.
The internet presents new challenges for classifying paraphilias.
Underlying psychiatric understandings of paraphilias are numerous philosophical assumptions.

Conclusions:

Key issues include defining normative sexuality, distinguishing mental disorder from crime, and the fantasy-action relationship.
Epistemological questions regarding perspectivity and truth claims are crucial.
Social and cultural contexts, including sex differences, influence the expression and understanding of paraphilias.