Abstract
Sexual sadism disorder is characterized by the experience of sexual pleasure through causing, witnessing, or fantasizing about a non-consenting individual’s physical or emotional pain. A commonly misunderstood disorder, its prevalence varies widely depending on the study. There is a lack of inter-clinician reliability concerning diagnosis. Recent efforts have been made to reconceptualize sadism as a dimensional rather than dichotomous construct, resulting in the development of several validated instruments to assist professionals in valid and reliable diagnosis of sexual sadism disorder. The aim of this article is to provide mental health professionals with foundational knowledge on sadism and to provide recommendations for how they can improve their understanding of this unique population to provide more effective and efficient care.
Recommended Citation
Brown, Jerrod
(2018)
"Sexual Sadism Disorder: An Introduction for Mental Health Professionals,"
Forensic Scholars Today: Vol. 4:
Iss.
1, Article 1.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.csp.edu/forensic_scholars_today/vol4/iss1/1