Pharmacological Treatments of Paraphilic Disorder

According to Stephen J. Hucker, Consulting Forensic Psychiatrist at Forensic Psychiatry.ca, paraphilia is a term healthcare professionals use to describe sexual deviation or perversion. It's characterized by intense, repetitive sexual arousal that occurs in response to socially deviant stimuli. A paraphilic disorder is a psychiatric disorder that can be treated with medications.

Features

• Paraphilia is almost exclusively found in males, starting in early puberty and developing fully by around age 20. Some common paraphilias include exhibitionism, pedophilia, voyeurism and sexual sadism.

Effects

• There is no cure for paraphilia, and many men are not willing to seek treatment. However, pharmacological treatments can help control the underlying psychiatric disorder and reduce symptoms in motivated individuals.

Types

• According to Emedicine, there are five types of pharmacological agents (drugs) used to treat paraphilias: antidepressants, long-acting gonadotropin-releasing hormones, antiandrogens, phenothiazines and mood stabilizers.

Functions

• Fluoxetine (Prozac) and lithium are antidepressants that help people with paraphilias control their impulses. Gonadotropin-releasing hormones like triptorelin reduce the levels of testosterone and may lower sex drive. Antiandrogens like medroxyprogesterone (Depo-Provera) lower sex drive. Phenothiazines like fluphenazine (Prolixin) can lower aggression, while mood stabilizers such as divalproex sodium (Depakote) treat underlying conditions such as bipolar disorder.

Considerations

• A combination of pharmacological treatment and psychological approaches is usually more effective than either type of treatment alone.