What is the difference between paraphilia and paraphilic disorder?
Paraphilia and paraphilic disorder are related terms that describe sexual preferences and behaviors that are considered outside the mainstream or socially normative. However, there is an important difference between the two.
Paraphilia refers to an intense and persistent sexual interest or arousal to atypical or non-normative stimuli, such as non-human objects, non-consenting individuals, or pain or humiliation. Examples of paraphilic interests include exhibitionism, voyeurism, fetishism, and sadomasochism. While these interests are not considered normal or typical, they may not necessarily cause distress or impairment to the individual who has them.
Paraphilic disorder, on the other hand, is a diagnosis in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) that refers to a condition where an individual’s sexual interests or behaviors cause significant distress, impairment in social, occupational, or other areas of functioning, or harm to others. In other words, paraphilic disorder is a type of mental disorder where an individual’s atypical sexual interests or behaviors interfere with their ability to function in daily life or cause harm to themselves or others.
To summarize, paraphilia is a broad term that refers to atypical sexual interests or arousal patterns, while paraphilic disorder is a specific diagnosis that refers to a condition where these interests or behaviors cause significant distress, impairment, or harm to the individual or others.