Transvestic Fetishism

Sexual Transvestic Fetishism - Symptom, Cause and Treatment

Like most paraphilias, transvestic festishism begins in adolescence, usually around the onset of puberty. Most practitionners are male who are aroused by wearing, fondling, or seeing female clothing. Lingerie (bras, panties, girdles, corsets, slips), stockings, shoes or boots may all be the fetishistic object.

Men with transvestic fetishism are typically heterosexual, and many have been or are married. Transvestites tend to believe that they manifest both male and female personalities. Cross-dressing allows them to display their feminine personality but generally they dress and present themselves as males. Transvestites may or not have the desire to become transsexual, which involves living as a member of the opposite sex.

It is difficult to assess the prevalence of transvestic fetishm in the general population, given that individuals carry out their fetishistic behaviour in private. The fetish, by itself, is usually not associated with criminal behaviour although it may combined with other fetishes paraphilias or disorders that result in criminal behaviour.

Transvestic fetishism is a disorder only if it causes distress, results in impairment of some type, or involves "daredevil" behavior likely to lead to injury, loss of a job, or imprisonment. Transvestites also cross-dress for reasons other than sexual stimulation, for example, to reduce anxiety, to relax, or, in the case of male transvestites, to experiment with the feminine side of their otherwise male personalities.

Diagnostic Criteria for 302.3 Transvestic Fetishism

• Over a period of at least 6 months, in a heterosexual male, recurrent, intense sexually arousing fantasies, sexual urges, or behaviors involving cross-dressing.
• The fantasies, sexual urges, or behaviors cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.

Generally there is a moderate to severe coexisting personality disturbance. Frequently the person experiences considerable anxiety and depression, which he or she may attribute to the inability to live in the role of the desired sex.

Treatment of Transvestic Fetishism

Treatment typically involves psychotherapy aimed at uncovering and working through the underlying cause of the behavior. As with most disorders in this category, other issues may arise as treatment progresses and should be addressed.

Transvestic Fetishism

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Sexual Fetishism

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