Reproductive Disorders Online Journals

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) criteria proved to be in a constant of evolution. The first edition of the DSM, in 1952, catalogued 60 categories of abnormal behavior. By 1994, the fourth edition (DSM-IV) listed 297 separate disorders and over 400 specific psychiatric diagnoses. As with other disorders, DSM criteria for sexual dysfunctions reflect the prevailing psychiatric thinking of the time of publication; they have thus evolved throughout the years, reflecting advancements in the understanding of sexual disorders. For instance, in the first edition of the DSM, in 1952, impotence” and “frigidity were listed under “psychophysiological autonomic and visceral disorders”. Likewise, diagnostic categories of female sexual interest as described in the DSM IV 1994 were based on the model of human sexual response proposed by Masters and Johnson, and further developed by Kaplan. However, recent research has put into question the validity of that model; both the strict distinction between different phases of arousal and the linear model of sexual response were found to inadequately explain sexual behavior, particularly in women. This has in turn led to several proposed changes in sexual dysfunction diagnostic criteria. The DSM-5, published in May of 2013, seeks to incorporate some of aforementioned findings. Changes were made in the sexual dysfunctions chapter in an attempt to correct, expand and clarify the different diagnoses and their respective criteria. Although many of the changes are subtle, some are noteworthy: gender-specific sexual dysfunctions were added, and female disorders of desire and arousal were amalgamated into a single diagnosis called “female sexual interest/arousal disorder”. Many of the diagnostic criteria were updated for increased precision: for instance, almost all DSM-5 sexual dysfunction diagnoses now require a minimum duration of 6 months as well as a frequency of 75%-100%. The purpose of this article is to present and explain the changes that were introduced to the nomenclature and diagnostic criteria of sexual dysfunctions in the DSM-5. DSM-5 Changes in Diagnostic Criteria of Sexual Dysfunctions, Waguih William IsHak and Gabriel Tobia.

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Last date updated on April, 2024