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Paraphilia

Paraphilia

Disease, health and medicine, ,

Paraphilia is a disorder defined as sexually arousing urges, fantasies, or behaviors that are recurrent, intense, occur over at least 6 months. This disorder may cause significant distress or interfere with important areas of functioning. 

The number of people who suffer from paraphilia is difficult to gauge for several reasons. Several people with one of these disorders suffer in secret or silence out of shame, and some engage in sexually offensive behaviors. Therefore, many of the estimates on the prevalence of paraphilic disorders come from the number of people involved with the criminal justice system due to pedophilia. 

Causes of Paraphilia

microscopic brain chemicals inside human
  • Imbalance in certain brain chemicals called neurotransmitters may cause compulsive sexual behavior. These are mainly feel-good chemicals that also regulate mood.  
  • Certain medical conditions like multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, and dementia lead to the person getting obsessed with certain sexual patterns. 
  • Androgens are sex hormones that are present in men and women and play a role in sexual desire and libido. 
  • Changes in brain connections may also cause paraphilia. Any activity did repeatedly throughout pleasurable causes changes in the nerve pathways and forms circuits. These slowly become permanent and so does the behavior. 

Symptoms of Paraphilia

The sexual stimulant desired by the paraphilia sufferer depends on the specific condition, but the illness generally has very similar characteristics. People with this condition tend to be aroused by stimulants to the exclusion or near exclusion of more common sources of sexual interest, like attractive people of a similar age. Sometimes the intensity of the sexual attraction becomes overwhelming. Symptoms of guilt and fear of punishment are frequently associated with paraphilia due to their unusual or forbidden nature. 

Paraphilia can be marked by an obsessive preoccupation that may interfere with a person’s ability to think about other things or engage in more conventional sexual activity with an age-appropriate partner. A paraphilia sufferer may experience depression or anxiety that is temporarily alleviated by engaging in paraphilic behavior, which leads to an addictive cycle.

Diagnosis for Paraphilia

It is best to consult a family physician or psychiatrist who has experience with your issue. Doctors must find out the person’s motive for having a paraphilia and suggest alternate techniques to control the urges and impulses. A good past and personal history, and any past or present medical conditions, should be gathered and recorded.

man having therapy psychotherapy

Treatment and Medications for Paraphilia

Various types of treatment are available, including psychotherapy, medication, and counseling. You should be checked for alcohol or drug abuse or psychiatric conditions like depression or anxiety, and these should be treated accordingly.

Several types of psychotherapy exist, including:

  • Psychodynamic psychotherapy (increases insight and awareness)
  • Cognitive-behavioral therapy (teaches positive thoughts and actions in place of negative ones)
  • Group therapy (people with similar issues share their stories)
  • Marriage counseling

Drug treatment includes:

  • Anti-depressants
  • Anti-androgens that block the release of sex hormones
  • Mood stabilizers like lithium and naltrexone that is used to treat alcoholics and block the brain’s pleasure receptors 
Kleptomania Its Causes, Treatment, and Medications

Kleptomania: Its Causes, Treatment, and Medications

Disease, health and medicine, ,

Kleptomania is a mental illness that has the characteristic of an irresistible longing to steal stuff. This is psychological condition is not due to any flaw in the character of the person. 

Kleptomaniacs are not the same as shoplifters. Kleptomania involves the failure to resist impulses to act in a way that may be dangerous to self or other people. Kleptomaniac has a symptom of stealing something which they do as an act without any intention. The shoplifters steal things intentionally.   

What causes Kleptomania? 

The following factors may be responsible for the disorder: 

  • Obsessive-compulsive disorders 
  • Stress either at home or work 
  • The release of dopamine from the brain rewards the person with a feeling of pleasure initiates the recurrence of the impulse to steal. 
  • Change in the levels of serotonin that regulates emotions and moods 

Signs and Symptoms of Kleptomania 

  • Feeling increased tension or arousal leading up to the theft 
  • Feeling relief while stealing or terrible guilt, shame, or fear of arrest after the theft  
  • Inability to resist powerful urges to steal items that you don’t have  

Risk Factors Of Having Kleptomania 

  • Family history: Having a first-degree relative with kleptomania or obsessive-compulsive disorder may increase the risk of kleptomania.  
  • Having another mental disorder: People with kleptomania frequently have another mental disorder such as eating disorder, bipolar disorder, or anxiety disorder. 

Safety Precautions  

Some measures that can stop the progress of psychological illnesses include: 

  • Teaching the children and teenagers about relationships and human values 
  • Creating a happy and peaceful environment for the children 
  • Instructing people with behavioral problems to preventing those situations which trigger the disease  
  • Training the people on stress management techniques 

If left untreated, kleptomania may result in severe problems. Other complications associated with this disorder may include: 

  • Depression 
  • Eating disorder 
  • Personality disorder 
  • Alcohol and substance disorder 
  • Other impulse-control disorders such as compulsive shopping or gambling  

Treating Kleptomania 

Kleptomania treatment is significant as this illness is not a self-limiting type. If any patient is not treated on time, it may become a life-long psychological condition. Treatment includes both medical management and psychiatric therapy. 

Medical Management 

This type of treatment includes the use of medications to lessen the symptoms of the need to steal. These medications act on chemicals like opioids of the brain to stop the urge to steal. 

Psychiatric Treatment 

It includes behavioral change therapy. Some essential techniques of this therapy include: 

  • Instructions are given on the practice of relaxation techniques like deep breathing techniques when the patient’s brain triggers the urge to steal something. 
  • The patients are also shown to deviate their attentiveness when the symptom of the urge to steal begins.  

Family therapy also helps to relieve the symptoms. It involves, engaging the patient with family and peer group most of the time.  

Medications for Kleptomania 

Treatment for kleptomania usually focuses on behaviors. For some, medications may also be used as part of the treatment program.  

  • Anti-depressants like fluoxetine may be useful to relax and calm down the brain. Fluoxetine might be useful in helping curb very intense urges.  
  • Naltrexone has also shown some capacity in controlling impulse-based behavior. This medicine is now used to help alcoholics control the urge to drink.