Sexual masochism disorder

This article is about the medical condition where experiencing pain/humiliation is required for sexual arousal. For consenting partners engaging in sexual play behavior, see BDSM.

According to some classification systems, Sexual masochism disorder is the condition of experiencing recurring and intense sexual arousal in response to enduring moderate or extreme pain, suffering, or humiliation.[1] The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5) of the American Psychiatric Association indicates that a person may have a masochistic sexual interest but that the diagnosis of sexual masochism disorder would only apply to individuals who also report psychosocial difficulties because of it.

While the diagnosis is in the current version of the DSM, the current version of the WHO's classification manual, ICD-11, has entirely removed masochism as a classification for a mental disorder.

  1. ^ American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing.