Why Do I Experience Sexual Arousal From The Suffering Of Another Person?

Over a period of at least 6 months, did you experience recurrent and intense sexual arousal from the physical or psychological suffering of another person, as manifested by fantasies, urges, or behaviors?

Have you acted on these sexual urges with a non-consenting person, or do the sexual urges or fantasies cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning?

Based on your answers, you have responded ‘no’ to both questions. Mild sadistic sexual behavior is common between partner or consenting adults. It is usually not harmful and it does not meet the criteria for sexual sadism disorder. In order to receive a diagnosis, the person’s behavior, urges, or fantasies must show significant distress and impairment or cause harm to others. When sadism becomes a disorder is a matter of degree. When the behavior happens between consenting partners, there may be no need to worry. However, when it happens with nonconsenting persons, sexual sadism becomes a criminal activity.

Sexual sadism is characterized by causing harm, mentally or physically, to another person in order to achieve sexual arousal. If someone experiences sadistic sexual interests but without distress or harm to others, sexual sadism disorder will not be diagnosed. However, when someone practices these acts at least three times without consent from the other person or when the sadistic fantasies or behaviors lead to functional problems, the disorder may be diagnosed. While it is unlikely that you have sexual sadism disorder, you are displaying a sign related to it. It may be of high importance to seek medical attention. Extreme sexual sadism is criminal and can lead to death of another person.

Unfortunately, you are displaying the symptoms typically seen among individuals who have sexual sadism disorder. The disorder is described as experiencing sexual arousal in response to the suffering of others. Examples of sadistic acts are restraint (ropes, handcuffs, chains), biting, beating, and imprisonment.