Therapy

Therapy for Rapists and Rape Victims Therapy for Rapists  Multidimensional in nature  Evaluated by following men after release from prison  Cognitive techniques are aimed at their distorted beliefs and inappropriate attitudes toward women, attempts to increase empathy with their victims, anger management, techniques to improve self-esteem and efforts to reduce substance abuse  Sometimes biological treatment is used with it Therapy for Rape Victims  Counselling  Rape crisis centres and telephone hotlines have been established throughout north America  They need nonjudgmental support from family and friends  Treatment is similar to that of PTSD  They are asked to discuss it vividly – this repeated exposure is to help extinguish the fear  Depression can be addressed by helping the women re-evaluate her role in the rape (many victims see themselves as partially responsible)  Cognitive restructuring is also used  Reasons for not reporting rape o They consider is a private matter o The fear of revenge from the rapist or his family/friends o They believe the police would be inefficient or insensitive Sexual Dysfunction  Sexual dysfunction: the range of problems considered to represent inhibitions in the normal sexual response cycle Sexual Dysfunction and the Human Sexual Response cycle  Sexual dysfunction is divided into 4 categories  sexual desire disorders, sexual arousal disorders, orgasmic disorders, and sexual pain disorders  The difficulty should be persistent and recurrent, and mark distress or interpersonal problems  A sexual dysfunction is not made if the disorder is believed to be due entirely to a medical illness or if its due to another Axis 1 disorder (like depression)  4 phases in human sexual response cycle are typically identified (similar in men and women) o Appetitive: sexual interest or desire, often associated with sexually arousing fantasies o Excitement: subjective experience of sexual pleasure  increased blood flow to the genitalia and in the breasts (for women) o Orgasm: sexual pleasure peaks causing ejaculation for men and wall of the outer 3 of the vagina to contract for women o Resolution: relaxation and well-being that usually follow an orgasm. In men there is a refractory period (where erection or arousal is not possible), but in women sexual excitement is almost immediately possible (multiple orgasms) Description and Etiology of Sexual Dysfunction  In the diagnostic criteria for each sexual dysfunction, the phrase “persistent or recurrent” is used to underscore the fact that a problem must be serious indeed for the diagnoses to be made  There is a lot of co-morbidity also Sexual Desire Disorders  Hyoactive sexual desire disorder: deficient or absent sexual fantasies and urges  Sexual aversion disorder: extreme form of the disorder, the person actively avoids nearly all genital contact with another person  More prevalent in women  It’s also referred to as low sex drive  Some reasons -- Trying to have sex with a partner of the nonpreferred sex, fear of loss of control, fear or pregnancy, depression, side effects from medications (antihypertensive and tranquilizers) and lack of attraction resulting from such factors as poor personal hygiene in the partner  Other reasons – relationship conflicts, lack of communication, stress and anger