In the following, the variabilities/disorders of sexual preference are described phenomenologically instead of describing “complaints-symptoms”, which are not conducive to this topic. Where definitions from ICD-10-GM are available for this purpose, these are used. The following list is arranged in alphabetical order from A to Z and describes characteristic features of sexual preference disorders:
- Exhibitionism (ICD-10-GM F 65.2):
- Recurrent or persistent tendency to expose one’s genitals to mostly opposite-sex strangers in public without soliciting or desiring closer contact.
- Combination with voyeurism, frotteurism, sadomasochism, transvestitism or pedophilia common.
- Fetishism (ICD-10-GM F 65.0):
- Use of dead objects as stimuli for sexual arousal and gratification.
- Depending on the expression, reduces the ability to be sexually stimulated to only a few very circumscribed stimuli.
- Fetishistic transvestitism (ICD-10-GM F 65.1):
- To achieve sexual arousal wants to wear clothes of the opposite sex; thus giving the appearance of being a person of the opposite sex.
- Pedophilia (ICD-10-GM F 65.4):
- Sexual preference for children, boys or girls, or children of either sex, usually in the prepubertal or early pubertal stages.
- A distinction is made between heterosexual and homosexual pedophilia.
- Age difference of at least 5 years between the perpetrator and the victim, and a minimum age of the perpetrator (the perpetrator) of 16 years.
- Age of the victim usually 13 years or younger.
- Pansexuality (prefix “pan” comes from Greek and means “all”; synonym: omnisexuality; anthrosexuality):
- Sexual orientation in which persons in their desire no preselection by sex or gender identity* ; can feel sexual or romantic feelings for people of all gender identities, i.e., in addition to the binary genders man and woman – from bi- or homosexual women and men – also for any other gender identities (eg, about transsexual people to hermaphrodites / individuals of a kind with male and female gender expression (intersexuals, hermaphrodites)).
- Sadomasochism (SM) (ICD-10-GM F 65.5): sexual activities involving the infliction of pain, humiliation, or bondage are preferred.
- Masochism: when the individual suffers this type of stimulation.
- Sadism: when someone inflicts pain, humiliation or bondage on another.
- Voyeurism (ICD-10-GM F 65.3):
- Recurrent or persistent urge to watch other people engage in sexual activity or intimate activities, such as undressing, without the knowledge of the person being watched; is associated with sexual arousal.
- Desire for relationship with the observed does not exist.
- Multiple sexual preference disorder (ICD-10-GM F 65.6):
- Presence of multiple abnormal sexual preferences without one being prominent. The most common combination is fetishism, transvestitism, and sadomasochism.
- Other disorders of sexual preference (ICD-10-GM F 65.6): eg.
- Obscene telephone calls,
- Pressing one’s body against other people for sexual stimulation in crowds (= frotteurism),
- Sexual acts on animals (= zoophilia),
- Sexual pleasure from human feces or its excretion (= coprophilia; Greek κόπρος kópros “dung”, “manure”, “feces” and -philia),
- Sexual pleasure derived from urine (= urophilia; synonym: golden shower (NS)),
- Strangulation and use of anoxia (lack of oxygen) to increase sexual arousal,
- Preference for enemas / colonic irrigation (= clysmaphilia),
- Sexual preference directed at corpses (= necrophilia).
* Gender identity: “a person’s subjective sense of being a man or a woman (or in between).”
Other forms of sexual preference
- Asexuality:
- No desire for sexual interaction
- Bisexuality (actually “ambisexuality”, after the Latin prefix bi- for “two”):
- Sexual orientation or tendency to be emotionally and/or sexually attracted to two genders. In contrast, the pansexual is attracted to different gender identities
- Homosexuality:
- Sexual orientation in which sexual desire is predominantly directed toward persons of the same sex: women with women (lesbians) and men with men (gays).Note: There are men who have sex with men but cannot or will not define themselves as homosexual or bisexual because of a lack of expression of love for the male sex; this is referred to as MSM (men who have sex with men). Analogously, this phenomenon is also found in women. Note: In 1987, homosexuality was removed from the DSM-III-R and in 1991 also from the ICD-10. Today, homosexuality is considered normal.
Gender identity disorders (gender identity disorder GIS, short GID).
- Transgender (Latin trans “beyond”, “beyond” and English gender “social gender”).
- Individuals whose gender identity does not match, or does not fully match, the sex registered after birth based on external characteristics, or who reject a binary assignment (male or female). Yes according to the position determination one speaks of transgender persons with female (transwoman) as well as male (transman) gender identity and all identity forms (non-binary gender identities) in between. Note: transgender is independent of sexual orientation, i.e. it can be heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual or asexual.
- Transsexualism or transsexual (from Latin trans “across, beyond”, and sexus “sex[steep]”; ICD-10-GM F 64).
- People with a desire “to live and be recognized as members of the opposite sex”; incomplete identification of a person with the sex assigned to him by others according to sexual characteristics.
- Transvestitism while maintaining both sex roles (Latin trans “across”, vestire “to dress”; ICD-10-GM F 64):
- Wearing the clothing of another sex; regardless of sexual orientation.
- There is no desire for permanent sex reassignment or surgical correction; the change of clothing is not accompanied by sexual arousal.
Note: Sexual preference disorder must be “at least six months of recurrent and intense sexually arousing fantasies, sexual needs, or behaviors” that cause significant distress or dysfunction.
