Sexual dysfunction

Sexual dysfunction refers to the interruption of any sexual response phase, which includes sexual desire, sexual arousal, orgasm, and either sexual pain or lack of sexual pleasure, that leads to significant personal distress. This disorder is often diagnosed by a physician in accordance with the symptoms listed in the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). Sexual dysfunction has been attributed to multiple biological, psychological, cultural-religious, and relational factors. This entry presents an overview of sexual dysfunction from a historical perspective, focusing on changes in the differences of models of men-women sexual responses, the criteria for diagnosis, as well as a review of the prevalence and possible etiology and risk factors.