Sadism
is the act of deriving pleasure, often sexual, from mistreating others
and therefore these people find others whom they victimize with their
behavior. Some of the severe activities involved in sexual sadism include
burning, beating, stabbing, raping, and killing. Usually the thoughts
and/or behaviors of sexual sadism begin in adolescence or early adulthood.
The behaviors are not only chronic, but they usually increase in severity
with time. Disorder characteristic are:
Repeatedly
for at least 6 months, the patient experiences intense sexual desires,
fantasies or behaviors concerning real acts of causing physical or psychological
torment or otherwise humiliating another.
This causes clinically important distress or impairs work, social or
personal functioning. The sadism may take the form of restraining, beating,
torturing, mutilating or even killing another (especially when associated
with anti-social
personality disorder).
Some disorders
have similar or even the same symptoms. The clinician, therefore,
in his/her diagnostic attempt has to differentiate against the following
disorders which need to be ruled out to establish a precise diagnosis.
There
is no identified cause but the age of onset is commonly by early adulthood.
Most paraphilic fantasies begin in late childhood or adolescence and
continue throughout adult life. Intensity and occurrence of the fantasies
are variable, and they usually decrease as people get older.
The course of
paraphilia is usually chronic in nature and may require both the application
of psychotherapeutic techniques and drug therapy.
Counseling
and Psychotherapy [ See
Therapy Section ]:
Cognitive, behavior, and psychoanalytic therapies are used to treat
individuals with paraphilia's.
Hormones
are prescribed occasionally for individuals who experience intrusive
sexual thoughts, urges, or abnormally frequent sexual behaviors. Almost
always the treatment must be long-term if it is to be effective.
