carbomb Posted February 17, 2017 Share Posted February 17, 2017 I'm openly asexual and I fail to understand why it stopped being considered a mental disorder. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LeChat Posted February 17, 2017 Share Posted February 17, 2017 Hello! Perhaps reading Ritch Savin-Williams' recent article on "Asexuality: A Brief Primer" on Psychology Today's website might help answer your question. To give a short, quick answer, basically, it was down to sex researchers, like Anthony Bogaert, who were willing to interview asexuals and study whether their sexual organs were working properly, to help them determine that they their sexuality wasn't a pathology. I'm very grateful that they did. Otherwise, I would've felt even worse about myself, thinking I had a disorder, and would've continued to feel that I had to try to become heterosexual in order to be considered "normal" in society. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ruru+Saphhy=Garnet Posted February 17, 2017 Share Posted February 17, 2017 https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/living-single/201609/asexuality-is-sexual-orientation-not-sexual-dysfunction Quote Link to post Share on other sites
daveb Posted February 17, 2017 Share Posted February 17, 2017 I think one criteria for something being a mental disorder is that is causes distress and/or interferes with one's life. In which case, it's not necessarily the condition that is the disorder - it's the distress. In other words, it's not asexuality in and of itself that is a disorder (whether mental or physical - why would it necessarily be mental?). Anyway, why should sexual orientation be a disorder? You might as well ask the same any sexuality. Do you want it to be classified as a disorder? If so, why? For myself and many others it is not a disorder. It's just part of who we are as healthy (even happy, well-adjusted and/or productive) people. Of course, I'm not a doctor of any sort. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted February 17, 2017 Share Posted February 17, 2017 why should it be Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Homer Posted February 17, 2017 Share Posted February 17, 2017 18 minutes ago, yourcaptaiin said: I'm openly asexual and I fail to understand why it stopped being considered a mental disorder. Why should it be? (serious question, I'm not trying to mock you or anything) Wiki provides the following definition: "A mental disorder, also called a mental illness or psychiatric disorder, is a diagnosis by a mental health professional of a behavioral or mental pattern that may cause suffering or a poor ability to function in life. Such features may be persistent, relapsing and remitting, or occur as a single episode." Now I don't suffer because of not wanting to fuck, nor do I function less well because of not wanting to fuck. I mean yeah, it can occur as a side-effect of a variety of mental disorders, but there are also a lot of folks out there who are perfectly healthy. Why would you "label" (blergh) them mentally disordered? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
NerotheReaper Posted February 17, 2017 Share Posted February 17, 2017 Why should any sexuality be considered a mental disorder? There is nothing wrong with someone who isn't the average heterosexual. Saying that asexuality is a mental disorder is like how they used to think in the older days "homosexuality is a mental disorder" So why should we categorize any sexuality other than heterosexuality into something being wrong with the person? Mental disorders are serious issues where they interfere with someone's life, a lot of people here have jobs and go to school. A lot of us here are happy and live fulfilling lives that are just missing the sex part. That isn't such a bad thing right? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Homer Posted February 17, 2017 Share Posted February 17, 2017 1 minute ago, NerotheReaper said: A lot of us here are happy and live fulfilling lives that are just missing the sex part. I doubt that they're "missing" the sex part. It's just not there. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
NerotheReaper Posted February 17, 2017 Share Posted February 17, 2017 Just now, Homer said: I doubt that they're "missing" the sex part. It's just not there. "Missing" as in it is absent. Not a longing. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kani Posted February 17, 2017 Share Posted February 17, 2017 would i get money from the state if it was? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sherlocks Posted February 17, 2017 Share Posted February 17, 2017 Even if they thought so its not like its harmful. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Anthracite_Impreza Posted February 17, 2017 Share Posted February 17, 2017 Mental disorders cause distress, my anxiety and depression cause distress. My asexuality doesn't. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Homer Posted February 17, 2017 Share Posted February 17, 2017 5 minutes ago, Sherlocks said: Even if they thought so its not like its harmful. Well I guess one could create a spin where not wanting to fuck means that your view of the world is soooo different that you just don't "get" certain things which are seen as a given in relationships. As in "Ace moments that became serious / dangerous". Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sally Posted February 17, 2017 Share Posted February 17, 2017 41 minutes ago, NerotheReaper said: "Missing" as in it is absent. Not a longing. It's not absent. That implies a vacancy, a space that's not filled, as in an abnormality. We're not people who are missing something, as in an abnormality. We simply don't want something. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sherlocks Posted February 17, 2017 Share Posted February 17, 2017 2 minutes ago, Homer said: Well I guess one could create a spin where not wanting to fuck means that your view of the world is soooo different that you just don't "get" certain things which are seen as a given in relationships. As in "Ace moments that became serious / dangerous". One can understand normal humans if they simply watch them. I don't see why its a disorder. Just means you are less likely to fall into traps. Love makes people crazy isn't it better to lack the trigger? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Homer Posted February 17, 2017 Share Posted February 17, 2017 9 minutes ago, Sherlocks said: One can understand normal humans if they simply watch them. I don't see why its a disorder. Just means you are less likely to fall into traps. Love makes people crazy isn't it better to lack the trigger? First sentence: Big fat nope. One could watch people for years, perhaps figuring out behavioural patterns. That alone wouldn't make you understand shit. It would make you see "People are doing x in [situation]". But why are they doing what they're doing? That's not something you'll get from simply watching them. Last sentence: Fully agreed. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sherlocks Posted February 17, 2017 Share Posted February 17, 2017 Just now, Homer said: First sentence: Big fat nope. One could watch people for years, perhaps figuring out behavioural patterns. That alone wouldn't make you understand shit. It would make you see "People are doing x in [situation]". But why are they doing what they're doing? That's not something you'll get from simply watching them. Of course, it is. I do it all the time. Everything in life is about putting on a good show. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Homer Posted February 17, 2017 Share Posted February 17, 2017 Silly example to clarify my point. Let's assume someone punched themselves in the face every time they pass a certain house by the street. You watch that person do this every day for a week, a month, a year. Bang, pattern discovered. But WHY do they do this? It's highly likely that you won't figure it out just by watching them punch themselves. But that's crucial to understand their actions. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sherlocks Posted February 17, 2017 Share Posted February 17, 2017 4 minutes ago, Homer said: Silly example to clarify my point. Let's assume someone punched themselves in the face every time they pass a certain house by the street. You watch that person do this every day for a week, a month, a year. Bang, pattern discovered. But WHY do they do this? It's highly likely that you won't figure it out just by watching them punch themselves. But that's crucial to understand their actions. We have an entire field of study dedicated to reading people's actions. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Homer Posted February 17, 2017 Share Posted February 17, 2017 reading =/= understanding. That's what I'm saying. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sherlocks Posted February 17, 2017 Share Posted February 17, 2017 4 minutes ago, Homer said: reading =/= understanding. That's what I'm saying. If you can guess a serial killer motives by his crimes why can you not guess a persons by their actions/inactions? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Homer Posted February 17, 2017 Share Posted February 17, 2017 4 minutes ago, Sherlocks said: If you can guess a serial killer motives by his crimes why can you not guess a persons by their actions/inactions? Nobody said that you couldn't guess. It's still a long way from guessing to understanding. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sherlocks Posted February 17, 2017 Share Posted February 17, 2017 Just now, Homer said: Nobody said that you couldn't guess. It's still a long way from guessing to understanding. If you can figure out why a person did something then you have an understanding of that person and how they process things. You can understand *how a person thinks *how most people behave *What is commonly considered traumatic *how to deal with someone who has been in a traumatic situation *What patterns equal what consequence *What is socially acceptable *What a person's motives are *How you are expected to behave around who *What most people find attractive What exactly is not being understood? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
will123 Posted February 17, 2017 Share Posted February 17, 2017 1 hour ago, daveb said: I think one criteria for something being a mental disorder is that is causes distress and/or interferes with one's life. In which case, it's not necessarily the condition that is the disorder - it's the distress. In other words, it's not asexuality in and of itself that is a disorder (whether mental or physical - why would it necessarily be mental?). Anyway, why should sexual orientation be a disorder? You might as well ask the same any sexuality. Do you want it to be classified as a disorder? If so, why? For myself and many others it is not a disorder. It's just part of who we are as healthy (even happy, well-adjusted and/or productive) people. Of course, I'm not a doctor of any sort. Count me in on that. Reading the posts in Off-A, we have a lot of varying interests, just like the sexual person across the bus from you. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Fox6 Posted February 18, 2017 Share Posted February 18, 2017 Because mental illnesses/disorder are defined based on a moral compass. Just like homosexuality, asexuality stopped being considered a mental illness/disorder when it became more accepted. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ChillaKilla Posted February 18, 2017 Share Posted February 18, 2017 I know you're a libertarian so I'll phrase it like this: Do you want to inadvertently encourage an increase in government-funded inpatient facilities due to people being institutionalized because they think asexuality is some terrible illness? Knowing that might increase taxes? /cynicism Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RK800 Posted February 18, 2017 Share Posted February 18, 2017 Because "mental disorder" is usually reserved for things which inhibit the individual's life and/or causes distress. The is still "hypo sexual dysfunction disorder" on the books but, like I've just mentioned, is usually reserved for those who display distress over their feelings and thoughts or lack thereof. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ChillaKilla Posted February 18, 2017 Share Posted February 18, 2017 "Sorry boss, can't work today. I've got a bad case of the...aces..." Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Homer Posted February 18, 2017 Share Posted February 18, 2017 26 minutes ago, Sherlocks said: What exactly is not being understood? At this point I believe that it's just me failing at expressing myself properly, tbh. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Anthracite_Impreza Posted February 18, 2017 Share Posted February 18, 2017 17 minutes ago, ChillaKilla said: "Sorry boss, can't work today. I've got a bad case of the...aces..." I want time off to drool over the new Mercedes down the road. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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