Transvestic disorder
Paraphilic disorder
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Transvestic disorder (formerly transvestic fetishism) is a psychiatric diagnosis applied in some countries to people who are sexually aroused by the act of cross-dressing and experience significant distress or impairment – socially or occupationally – because of their behavior.[2]
| Transvestic disorder | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Transvestic fetishism |
| |
| A transvestite in black stockings. | |
| Specialty | Psychiatry |
| Symptoms | Being sexually aroused by the act of cross-dressing and experiencing significant distress or impairment because of one’s behavior[1] |
In countries which have adopted the World Health Organization standard ICD-11 CDDR, it is not a diagnosis, but has been deprecated in favor of the more general "Paraphilic disorder involving solitary behavior or consenting individuals".[3]
In countries, such as the United States, which use the American Psychiatric Association's DSM-5, it is categorized as a specific paraphilic disorder.[4] It differs from cross-dressing without distress or impairment, or for entertainment or other purposes that do not involve sexual arousal.
Diagnosis
DSM-5
According to DSM-IV, transvestic disorder (called fetishism at that time) was limited to heterosexual men; however, the DSM-5 does not have this restriction, and opens it to women and men with this interest, regardless of their sexual orientation.[2] It is, however, usually documented in men.[5]
There are two key criteria before a psychiatric diagnosis of "transvestic disorder" is made:[1]
- Individuals must be sexually aroused by the act of cross-dressing.
- Individuals must experience significant distress or impairment – socially or occupationally – because of their behavior.
Criticism of DSM-5-TR
An academic criticism says that the main cause of distress is not within the individual but "external invalidation, systemic stigma, and structural barriers" from society.[6]