I came across this article the other day:
Bondage Benefits: BDSM Practitioners Healthier Than 'Vanilla' People
BDSM is still listed in the DSM manual, but not as a disorder, but as a sexual fixation. I don't think BDSM should be listed in a manual for psychiatric disorders, but at least it doesn't list it as a full on disorder. That being said, science says overall, we're more well adjusted that "normal" people.
The article describes a study where BDSMers were compared to vanilla people. We were found to have better mental health overall. Even the lowest scoring BDSM cohort (submissives) scored higher than vanilla people!
This makes sense to me. In general, BDSM people seem to be much more open minded. There is much more open communication in BDSM relationships, and also a lot of self-reflection. Why wouldn't that make us more extroverted, conscientious, less neurotic and more able to handle rejection?
Thoughts?
Bondage Benefits: BDSM Practitioners Healthier Than 'Vanilla' People
BDSM is still listed in the DSM manual, but not as a disorder, but as a sexual fixation. I don't think BDSM should be listed in a manual for psychiatric disorders, but at least it doesn't list it as a full on disorder. That being said, science says overall, we're more well adjusted that "normal" people.
The article describes a study where BDSMers were compared to vanilla people. We were found to have better mental health overall. Even the lowest scoring BDSM cohort (submissives) scored higher than vanilla people!
This makes sense to me. In general, BDSM people seem to be much more open minded. There is much more open communication in BDSM relationships, and also a lot of self-reflection. Why wouldn't that make us more extroverted, conscientious, less neurotic and more able to handle rejection?
Thoughts?
Just a slight correction (which even journalists get wrong quite often). BDSM is not in the DSM. In the section dedicated to paraphilias there are a number of "conditions" some of them sound like they are from the BDSM sphere (ex. Sexual Sadism), but when looking at the criteria for these paraphilias, you will noticed that most BDSMers do not fit. Instead, the people that are often given these labels are people who 1) have a problem with the fact that they like BDSM or 2) are WAY OFF in left field as far as consent goes.
ReplyDeleteI did read that - that BDSM is only considered disorder if its a problem for the person.
DeleteBut I thought that BDSM was still listed under paraphilia as things to be aware of, but not considered a full disorder unless the above conditions were met?