Psychosexual disorder in which sexual behavior is directed to animals?

Appeared in: HPSSC - 2015

Explanation

Bestiality, also referred to as Zoophilia, is the paraphilia defined by sexual urges, fantasies, or behaviors directed toward animals.
This term specifically describes sexual contact between a human and a non-human animal.
The diagnosis of a paraphilic disorder is made when these urges cause significant distress or are acted upon, with the animal being an unwilling participant.

Why Other Options Were Wrong

Option A: Fetishism involves sexual arousal from nonliving objects or a highly specific focus on a non-genital body part, not animals.
Option B: Frotteurism is characterized by intense sexual arousal from touching or rubbing against a non-consenting person, typically in a crowded public place.
Option D: Transvestism (or Transvestic Disorder) involves sexual arousal from cross-dressing. It is about the act of wearing clothes of the opposite sex, not about the sexual object choice.

Related Visual

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Definitions of Paraphilic Disorders as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
Nurses must approach patients with any psychiatric condition, including paraphilic disorders, with a non-judgmental and professional demeanor to facilitate trust and effective care.
A key diagnostic criterion for a paraphilic disorder versus a paraphilia is the presence of significant personal distress, functional impairment, or acting on urges with a non-consenting partner (which includes animals).
What if? If a person has fantasies about animals but feels no distress and has never acted on them, it is considered a paraphilia (an atypical interest) but not a paraphilic disorder. The clinical focus would be on monitoring for distress or risk of acting on the urges.

How to Approach the Question

This is a factual recall question that tests your knowledge of specific psychiatric terminology.
First, break down the question stem to identify the core components: 'sexual behavior' and 'directed to animals'.
Next, systematically review the definition of each option provided.
Eliminate options based on their definitions: Fetishism (objects), Frotteurism (non-consenting people), and Transvestism (cross-dressing).
The remaining option, Bestiality, directly matches the definition of sexual behavior with animals.

Concept Tested & Keywords

Concept Tested: Definitions of Paraphilic Disorders
Stem keywords: Psychosexual disorder, sexual behavior, animals
Lead-in keywords: BEST, MOST RELEVANT CLUE
Negative lead-in flag: false

Question ID

QeieuBm2uyhpdOJIrZ9HfD

Reference Book

E6 Kaplan Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry-2022 (pp 1-3768 of 3768) pp. 1707-1709, 1711-1713

E6 Robert Boland, Marcia L. Verduin - Kaplan and Sadock's Comprehensive Text of Psychiatry-Wolters Kluwer Health (2024) (pp 1-16525 of 16525) p. 15693-15695

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