6,301
Views
0
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Review

Why is absent/low sexual desire a mental disorder (except when patients identify as asexual)?

ORCID Icon
Pages 720-733 | Received 22 Jun 2022, Accepted 11 Mar 2023, Published online: 28 Mar 2023

References

  • American Psychiatric Association. (1952) . Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders.
  • American Psychiatric Association. (1968). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (2nd ed.) American Psychiatric Press.
  • American Psychiatric Association. (1980). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (3rd ed.). American Psychiatric Press.
  • American Psychiatric Association. (1987). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (3rded. revised). American Psychiatric Press.
  • American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.) American Psychiatric Press.
  • American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. 5thed., Text Revision. American Psychiatric Press.
  • Bogaert, A. F. (2004). Asexuality: Prevalence and associated factors in a national probability sample. Journal of Sex Research, 41(3), 279–287.
  • Bogaert, A. F. (2006). Towards a conceptual understanding of asexuality. Review of General Psychology, 10(3), 241–250.
  • Bogaert, A. F. (2008). Asexuality: Dysfunction or variation? In J. Caroll & M. Alena (Eds.), Psychological sexual dysfunctions (pp. 9–13). Nova.
  • Both, S., Schultz, W. W., & Laan, E. (2017). Treating women’s sexual desire and arousal problems. In Z. D. Peterson (Ed.), Wiley handbook of sex therapy (pp. 2–31). John Wiley & Sons.
  • Brotto, L. A., Knudson, G., Inskip, J., Rhodes, K., & Erskine, Y. (2010). Asexuality: A mixed-methods approach. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 39(3), 599–618.
  • Brotto, L. A., & Luria, M. (2014). Sexual interest/arousal disorder in women. In Y. M. Binik & K. S. K. Hall (Eds.), Principles and practice of sex therapy (5th ed., pp. 17–41). Guilford Press.
  • Brotto, L. A., & Velten, J. (2020). Sexual interest/arousal disorder in women. In K. S. K. Hall & Y. M. Binik (Eds.), Principles and practice of sex therapy (6th ed., pp. 13–40). Guilford Press.
  • Brotto, L. A., & Yule, M. A. (2011). Physiological and subjective sexual arousal in self-identified asexual women. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 40(4), 699–712.
  • Brotto, L. A., Yule, M. A., & Gorzalka, B. B. (2015). Asexuality: An extreme variant of sexual desire disorder? The Journal of Sexual Medicine, 12(3), 646–660.
  • Brunning, L., & McKeever, N. (2021). Asexuality. Journal of Applied Philosophy, 38(3), 497–517.
  • Cabaj, R. (2009). Strike while the iron is hot: Science, social forces and ego-dystonic homosexuality. Journal of Gay & Lesbian Mental Health, 13(2), 87–93.
  • Carrigan, M. (2012). “How do you know you don’t like it if you haven’t tried it?” Asexual agency and the sexual assumption. In T. G. Morrison, M. A. Morrison, A. Carrigan, & D. T. McDermott (Eds.), Sexual minority research in the new millennium (pp. 3–20). Nova Science.
  • Cerankowski, K. J., & Milks, M. (2010). New orientations: Asexuality and its implications for theory and practice. Feminist Studies, 36(3), 650–664.
  • Chasin, C. J. D. (2011). Theoretical issues in the study of asexuality. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 40(4), 713–723.
  • Comer, R. J. (2003). Abnormal psychology (5thed.). Worth Publishers.
  • Cooper, A. J. (1969). An innovation in the “behavioural” treatment of a case of nonconsummation due to vaginismus. British Journal of Psychiatry, 115(523), 721–722.
  • Cowan, T., & LeBlanc, A. (2018). Feelings under dynamic description: The asexual spectrum and new ways of being. Journal of Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology, 38(1), 29–41.
  • Cranney, S. (2016). The temporal stability of lack of sexual attraction across young adulthood. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 45(3), 743–749.
  • Cushman, P. (1995). Constructing the self, constructing America: A cultural history of psychotherapy. Addison-Wesley.
  • Dawson, M., McDonnell, L., & Scott, S. (2016). Negotiating the boundaries of intimacy: The personal lives of asexual people. The Sociological Review, 64(2), 349–365.
  • Drescher, J. (2015). Out of DSM: Depathologizing homosexuality. Behavioral Sciences, 5(4), 565–575.
  • Dworkin, A. (1985). Intercourse. Basic Books.
  • Elmerstig, E., Wijma, B., & Bertero, C. (2008). Why do young women continue to have sexual intercourse despite pain? Journal of Adolescent Health, 43(4), 357–363.
  • Elmerstig, E., Wijma, B., & Swahnberg, K. (2013). Prioritizing the partner’s enjoyment: A population-based study on young Swedish women with experience of pain during vaginal intercourse. Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics & Gynecology, 34(2), 82–89.
  • Fahs, B. (2010). Radical refusals: On the anarchist politics of women choosing asexuality. Sexualities, 13(4), 445–461.
  • Fahs, B. (2011). Performing sex: The making and unmaking of women’s erotic lives. SUNY Press.
  • Flore, J. (2014). Mismeasures of asexual desires. In K. K. Cerankowski & M. Milks (Eds.), Asexualities: Feminist and queer perspectives (pp. 17–34). Routledge.
  • Foster, A. B., & Sherrer, K. S. (2014). Asexual-identified clients in clinical settings: Implications for culturally competent practice. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, 1(4), 422–430.
  • Foucault, M. (1971). A conversation with Michel Foucault with J K. Simon. Partisan Review, 38(2), 192–201.
  • Foucault, M. (1977a). Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison (A. Sheridan, Ed.) Random House.
  • Foucault, M. (1977b). Nietzsche, genealogy, history. In D. F. Bouchard (Ed.), Language, counter-memory, practice: Selected essays and interviews with Michel Foucault (pp. 139–164). Cornell University Press.
  • Frankfurt, H. G. (2005). On bullshit. Princeton University Press.
  • Freud, S. ( 1905/1962). Three Essays on Sexuality, trans. by James Strachey. Avon Books
  • Fricker, M 2007 Epistemic Injustice: Power and the Ethics of Knowing Oxford University Press.
  • Gavey, N. (2005). Just sex? the cultural scaffolding of rape. Routledge.
  • Graham, C. A. (2014). Sexual dysfunction. In J. W. Barnhill (Ed.), DSM-5 clinical cases (pp. 230–233). American Psychiatric Publishing.
  • Gupta, K. (2017a). “And now I’m just different, but there’s nothing actually wrong with me”: Asexual marginalization and resistance. Journal of Homosexuality, 64(8), 991–1013.
  • Gupta, K. (2017b). What does asexuality teach us about sexual disinterest? Recommendations for health professionals based on a qualitative study with asexually identified people. Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, 43(1), 1–14.
  • Haefner, C., & Plante, R. F. (2015). Asexualities: Socio-cultural perspectives. In J. DeLamater & R. F. Plante (Eds.), Handbook of the sociology of sexualities (pp. 273–285). Springer International Publishing.
  • Haldeman, D. C. (1994). The practice and ethics of sexual conversion therapy. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 62(2), 221–227.
  • Hare-Mustin, R. T., & Marecek, J. (1990). Making a difference. In R. T. Hare-Mustin & J. Marecek (Eds.), Making a difference: Psychology and the construction of gender (pp. 1–21). Yale University Press.
  • Hinderliter, A. (2013). How is asexuality different from hypoactive sexual desire disorder? Psychology & Sexuality, 4(2), 167–178.
  • Hitschmann, E., & Bergler, E. (1936). Frigidity in women: Its characteristics and treatment. Nervous and Mental Disease Publishing.
  • Impett, E. A., & Peplau, L. A. (2003). Sexual compliance: Gender, motivational, and relationship perspectives. Journal of Sex Research, 40(1), 87–100.
  • Jay, D. (2015). Asexuality, TED talks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLI09O8bMkU&t=394s
  • Krasnow, S. S., & Maglio, A. (2019). Female sexual desire: What helps, what hinders, and what women want. Sexual and Relationship Therapy, 36(4), 318–346.
  • Laumann, E. O., Pail, A., & Rosen, R. C. (1999). Sexual dysfunction in the United States: Prevalence and predictors. JAMA, 281(6), 537–544.
  • MacInnis, C. C., & Hodson, G. (2012). Intergroup bias toward “Group X”: Evidence of prejudice, dehumanization, avoidance, and discrimination against asexuals. Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 15(6), 725–743.
  • MacNeela, P., & Murphy, A. (2015). Freedom, invisibility, and community: A qualitative study of self-identification with asexuality. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 44(3), 799–812.
  • Margolin, L. (2021a). Eros under patriarchy: A study of Basson’s “sexual response model.”. https://doi.org/10.1080/19419899.2021.1987305
  • Margolin, L. (2021b). The etherized wife: Privilege and power in sex therapy discourse. Oxford University Press.
  • Marmor, J. (1980). Homosexual behavior: A modern reappraisal. Basic Books.
  • Masters, W. H., & Johnson, V. E. (1976). Principles of the new sex therapy. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 133(5), 548–554.
  • McClelland, S. I. (2011). Who is “self” in self-reports of sexual satisfaction? Research and policy implications. Sexuality Research and Social Policy, 8(4), 304–320.
  • Meston, C. M., & Stanton, A. M. (2017). Evaluation of female sexual interest/arousal disorder. In W. W. Ishak (Ed.), The textbook of clinical sexual medicine (pp. 155–163). Springer.
  • Mosbergen, D. (2013). Battling asexual discrimination: Sexual violence and ‘corrective rape.’ https://www.huffpost.com/entry/asexual-discriminationn3380551
  • Muehlenhard, C. L., & Shippee, S. K. (2010). Men’s and women’s reports of pretending orgasm. Journal of Sex Research, 47(6), 552–567.
  • Mustanski, B., Kuper, L., & Greene, G. J. (2014). Development of sexual orientation and identity. In D. L. Tolman & L. M. Diamond (Eds.), APA handbook on sexuality and psychology (Vol. 1, pp. 597–628). American Psychological Association.
  • Nicholson, P., & Burr, J. (2003). “What is ‘normal’ about women’s (hetero)sexual desire and orgasm?” a report of an in-depth interview study. Social Science & Medicine, 57(9), 1735–1745.
  • Prause, N., & Graham, C. A. (2007). Asexuality: Classification and characterization. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 36(3), 341–356.
  • Przybylo, E. (2011). Crisis and safety: The asexual in sexusociety. Sexualities, 14(4), 444–461.
  • Robbins, N. K., Low, K. G., & Query, A. N. (2016). A qualitative exploration of the “coming out” process for asexual individuals. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 45(3), 751–760.
  • Shifren, J. L., Monz, B. U., Russo, P. A., Segriti, A. A., & Johannes, C. B. (2008). Sex problems and distress in United States women: Prevalence and Correlates. Obstetrics & Gynecology, 112(5), 970–978.
  • Spitzer, R. L., Gibbon, M., Skodol, A. E., Williams, J. B. W., & First, M. B. (1989). DSM-III-R case book: A learning companion to the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (3rd ed.). American Psychiatric Press.
  • Spitzer, R. L., Gibbon, M., Skodol, A. E., Williams, J. B. W., & First, M. B. (1994). DSM-IV case book: A learning companion to the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed.). American Psychiatric Press.
  • Spitzer, R. L., Gibbon, M., Skodol, A. E., Williams, J. B. W., & First, M. B. (2002). DSM-IV-TR: A learning companion to the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. Text revision (4th ed.). American Psychiatric Press.
  • Spitzer, R. L., Skodol, A., & Gibbon, M. (1981). DSM-III case book: A learning companion to the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (3rd ed. ; Ed., J. B. W. Williams.). American Psychiatric Association.
  • Ter Kuile, M. M., Both, S., & Van Lankveld, J. D. M. (2012). Sexual dysfunctions in women. In P. Sturmey & M. Hersen (Eds.), Handbook of evidence-based practice in clinical psychology (pp. 413–436). John Wiley & Sons.
  • Thomas, E. J., & Gurevich, M. (2021). Difference or dysfunction: Deconstructing desire in the DSM-5 diagnosis of female sexual interest/arousal disorder. Feminism & Psychology, 3(1), 81–98.
  • Tiefer, L. (2002). Beyond the medical model of women’s sexual problems: A campaign to resist the promotion of ‘female sexual dysfunction. Sexual and Relationship Therapy, 2(2), 127–135.
  • Van Houdenhove, E., Gijs, L., T’sjoen, G., & Enzlin, P. (2014). Asexuality: Few facts, many questions. Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, 40(3), 175–192.
  • Van Houdenhove, E., Gijs, L., T”sjoens, G., & Enzlin, P. (2015). Stories about asexuality: A qualitative study on asexual women. Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, 4(3), 262–281.
  • Vares, T. (2017). “My [asexuality] is playing hell with my dating life” Romantic identified asexuals negotiate the dating game. Sexualities, 21(4), 520–536.
  • Wiederman, M. W. (1997). Pretending orgasm during sexual intercourse: Correlates in a sample of young adult women. Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, 23(2), 131–139.
  • Wilkinson, S., & Kitzinger, C. (1994). The social construction of terosexuality. Journal of Gender Studies, 3(3), 307–316.
  • Young, S. (2019). Three quarters of people cannot define asexuality, Here’s what it means.” https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/asexual-meaningdefinition-what-asexuality-sky-poll-a8760826.html.