Home > Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders > Transvestic fetishism

Definition

Transvestic fetishismis defined by the mental health professional's handbook, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition, text revision (2000), which is also called DSM-IV-TR, as one of the paraphilias. The paraphilias are a group of mental disorders characterized by obsessionwith unusual sexual practices or with sexual activity involving nonconsenting or inappropriate partners (such as children or animals). The essential feature of transvestic fetishism is recurrent intense sexual urges and sexually arousing fantasies involving dressing in clothing associated with members of the...