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Controversies About Hypersexual Disorder and the DSM-5

  • Variations in Orientation, Identity, Addiction, and Compulsion (E Coleman, Section Editor)
  • Published:
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Abstract

Criteria for hypersexual disorder were proposed for consideration for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), but ultimately rejected by the American Psychiatric Association despite a field trial suggesting the criteria were valid and reliable. This article highlights the vast array of controversial issues surrounding the proposal for hypersexual disorder. While some criticisms covered a broader scope of general concerns about the field of psychiatric mental illness, many of these often extended to the proposal for hypersexual disorder. It is important to discuss both general concerns about psychiatric disorders and those specifically focused on hypersexuality in order to understand the challenges encountered in advancing the criteria for hypersexual disorder. This article attempts to place the controversies, criticisms, and issues about hypersexuality in context from leading experts in the field.

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References

Papers of particular interest, published recently, have been highlighted as: • Of importance •• Of major importance

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Compliance with Ethics Guidelines

Conflict of Interest

Dr. Reid has no formal declarations of conflicts. He was the principal investigator for the DSM-5 field trial on hypersexual disorder conducted by UCLA. Dr. Kafka was a member of the DSM-5 Workgroup on Sexual and Gender Identity Disorders.

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, 760 Westwood Boulevard, Suite 38-153, Los Angeles, CA, 90024, USA

    Rory C. Reid

  2. Harvard Medical School, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA

    Rory C. Reid & Martin P. Kafka

Authors
  1. Rory C. Reid
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  2. Martin P. Kafka
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rory C. Reid.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Variations in Orientation, Identity, Addiction, and Compulsion

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Reid, R.C., Kafka, M.P. Controversies About Hypersexual Disorder and the DSM-5. Curr Sex Health Rep 6, 259–264 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11930-014-0031-9

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