So I read in The New York Times (article link here) that Female Sexual Dysfunction is being added to the DSM-V, the psychiatric manual.
The weird part is, they seem to be defining female sexual dysfunction as having a low libido or lack of desire or not being able to reach orgasm. First off, I'm a bit confused as to why that's a psychiatric disorder. Much of the time, there are actual reasons for why people feel that way (ranging from anxiety/ abuse to hormone issues and so on). Although I guess you could argue that depression is also at times just a chemical issue. But what I don't get is- what about the female sexual dysfunction that people like me are experiencing where we actually have physical reasons for what is going on with us? True, taking a pill won't fix us, but it would be helpful for it to be considered a real thing that insurance would cover therapy for, even if it's just talk therapy.
3 comments:
In MISDIAGNOSED you said what you had was totally treatable. So when will this be treated? I really want to know if it works and could be the solution. I'm still at the beginning but if there is a way to skip all the steps and this treatment works that would be helpful to know.
Hey Anon,
So I've been applying the estrogen/ testosterone cream and my follow-up appointment to see whether that + getting off the birth control pills has helped is in August. Stay tuned to see what we find out and what follows...
My guess: what you are experiencing isn't psychological enough in origin to be relevant to the DSM; it sounds more gynecological and neurological.
While Female Sexual Arousal Dysfunction is controversial, I don't think that origins in trauma would prevent something from being categorized as a psych disorder. (PTSD, etc.) And hormones can be connected to other psych disorders (thyroid hormone and depression).
Post a Comment