The Paraphilias and Medical Licensure in the United States

As part of their mission to protect the public from exploitation, state medical boards query physicians about a wide range of topics prior to licensure, including in some cases whether the applicant has been diagnosed with or been treated for paraphilias or paraphilic disorders.

We investigated the prevalence of questions inquiring about the applicants' history of paraphilias and paraphilic disorders on applications for medical licensure.

The allopathic medical licensure application forms for each of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia were reviewed. Medical boards with questions pertaining to paraphilias or paraphilic disorders were asked how many affirmative responses had been obtained in the prior 5 years and how they would treat an affirmative response.

Eight medical boards inquired about paraphilias or paraphilic disorders, however there was no evidence of an affirmative response to these questions in the prior 5 years.

Of the 51 applications reviewed, 8 (16%) inquired whether the applicant had, was diagnosed with, or had been treated for a paraphilia or paraphilic disorder. The wording of the questions was variable and often failed to distinguish between paraphilias and paraphilic disorders. All but one medical board responded to requests for further information. The medical board staff members stated that an affirmative response would result in case-by-case review, including request for further information and possibly an in-person appearance before the board. None of the medical boards were willing or able to provide a formal count of affirmative responses in the last 5 years.

Medical boards may be contributing to the stigma experienced by both physicians and patients with diverse sexual interests. The benefit of retaining these questions is not clear.

This study is the first to investigate the use of paraphilias and paraphilic disorders as screening questions for medical licensure. Data regarding the number of affirmative responses were limited by the medical boards' inability or unwillingness to respond to share the information.

Eliminating or modifying physician licensing application questions pertaining to paraphilias and paraphilic disorders may decrease the stigma encountered by persons with diverse sexual interests. Removal also may diminish the barriers to accessing health care services for both physicians and patients with diverse sexualities. If the questions are retained, they should conform to the current DSM-5 nosology, which distinguishes between the mere presence of a paraphilia and a diagnosis of a paraphilic disorder. Cranstoun LM, Moser C. The Paraphilias and Medical Licensure in the United States. J Sex Med 2021;18:1130-1133.