Sexual Disorders: Perspectives on Diagnosis and Treatment

by Peter J. Fagan PhD, Paul R. McHugh MD (Foreword by)

Overview

Sexual disorders may arise from multiple causes. Their clinical assessment, diagnosis, and treatment must take into account the patient's underlying biology, history, and behaviors. Using an approach pioneered at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Peter Fagan applies the four "perspectives of psychiatry" (disease, dimension, behavior, and life story) to the diagnosis and treatment of sexual disorders.

This book offers therapists an efficient and clinically proven way to organize the range of theoretical methodologies currently available, presenting a framework that is both conceptually cohesive and readily applicable in clinical settings. After an introduction, each chapter offers a case study followed by an analysis based on one perspective methodology as well as a discussion of the clinical implications of that perspective. The book closes with a chapter integrating the approaches. This book will be of interest to mental health care professionals, including psychiatrists, psychologists, and social workers, who treat patients with sexual disorders.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780801875274
Publisher:	Johns Hopkins University Press
Publication date:	01/13/2004
Pages:	176
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.38(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Peter J. Fagan, PhD, is an associate professor of medical psychology in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Paul R. McHugh, M.D., is the Henry Phipps Professor of Psychiatry Emeritus, the former director of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and the coauthor of The Perspectives of Psychiatry, also available from Johns Hopkins. He was selected by President George W. Bush to sit on the Presidential Council on Bioethics and by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to be on their National Review Board for the elimination of the sexual abuse of children by clergy.

Table of Contents

Foreword, by Paul R. McHugh, M.D.
Acknowledgments
1. Introduction to the Perspectives on Sexual Disorders
2. Sex and the Disease Perspective
3. Sex and the Dimension Perspective
4. Sex and the Behavior Perspective: Problematic Behaviors
5. Treatment of Sexual Disorders in the Behavior Perspective
6. Sex and the Life Story Perspective: The Question of Meaning
7. Integrating the Perspectives
References
Index

What People are Saying About This

R. Taylor Segraves

Dr. Fagan combines impressive scholarship, clinical acumen, and a highly accessible writing style to discuss different perspectives on the evaluation of sexual disorders. This book addresses complex issues with astonishing clarity and flows smoothly from chapter to chapter with thematic continuity. It is a delight to read.

— R. Taylor Segraves, M.D., Ph.D., MetroHealth Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University

From the Publisher

Dr. Fagan combines impressive scholarship, clinical acumen, and a highly accessible writing style to discuss different perspectives on the evaluation of sexual disorders. This book addresses complex issues with astonishing clarity and flows smoothly from chapter to chapter with thematic continuity. It is a delight to read.
—R. Taylor Segraves, M.D., Ph.D., MetroHealth Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University

This book is unique in that it offers a clear methodology on how to understand sexual disorders from the multiple perspectives that the clinician faces. Dr. Fagan is a superb writer, and Sexual Disorders makes a much-needed contribution to the field of psychiatry, psychology, and human sexuality.
—Thomas N. Wise, M.D., Georgetown University School of Medicine

Thomas N. Wise

This book is unique in that it offers a clear methodology on how to understand sexual disorders from the multiple perspectives that the clinician faces. Dr. Fagan is a superb writer, and Sexual Disorders makes a much-needed contribution to the field of psychiatry, psychology, and human sexuality.

— Thomas N. Wise, M.D., Georgetown University School of Medicine

Editorial Reviews

This book encourages debate and argument. I predict Sexual Disorders will become a classic.
—Paul Fedoroff, MD, Canadian Journal of Psychiatry

Fagan's application of the four perspectives to sexual disorders serves as an important resource for clinicians of all therapeutic disciplines, which provide insight into a challenging niche of therapeutic work that is often overlooked.
—Elizabeth Bruce, Family Journal: Counseling and Therapy for Couples and Families

From the Publisher

Reviewer: Steven T Herron, MD (CPI/Assurance Health and Wellness)
Description: This relatively short and interesting book addresses what the author considers a more practical and beneficial approach to the diagnosis and treatment of sexual disorders. Namely, he explores the use of a four "perspective" view, including those of disease, dimension, behavior, and life story.
Purpose: The author describes inadequate training of mental health professionals in the identification and treatment of sexual disorders, and suggests a way to "organize the mass of information available into a systematic way of thinking about sex."
Audience: This book is primarily intended as a means to train mental health professionals, including psychiatrists, psychologists, and social worker'\ who encounter and treat patients with various sexual disorders.
Features: Consisting of seven chapters, this book uses clinical examples to illustrate cogent points for each of the perspectives offered. Particularly useful is the final chapter, "Integrating the Perspectives," as it highlights the importance of thinking about these problems in a multifactorial manner.
Assessment: Overall, while attempting to clarify the diagnosis and treatment of various sexual disorders, this book accurately illustrates the complex, and oftentimes misunderstood nature of these illnesses. Initially, this proposed method may seem complicated to use, but with practice it could create a broad perspective to serve as a solid foundation for treatment decisions. Especially important is the author's point about frequently revisiting a diagnosis and reevaluating treatment options and methods. It seems this book was written primarily to update more psychodynamic related principles (i.e. Freud) of sexual disorders that tended to dominate mental health treatment in the past, and is a worthy effort.

Doody's Review Service

This book encourages debate and argument. I predict Sexual Disorders will become a classic.

Canadian Journal of Psychiatry - Paul Fedoroff

This book encourages debate and argument. I predict Sexual Disorders will become a classic.

— Paul Fedoroff, MD

Canadian Journal of Psychiatry

"Fagan's application of the four perspectives to sexual disorders serves as an important resource for clinicians of all therapeutic disciplines, which provide insight into a challenging niche of therapeutic work that is often overlooked."

Family Journal: Counseling and Therapy for Couples and Families - Elizabeth Bruce

3 Stars from Doody

Fagan's application of the four perspectives to sexual disorders serves as an important resource for clinicians of all therapeutic disciplines, which provide insight into a challenging niche of therapeutic work that is often overlooked.

Family Journal: Counseling and Therapy for Couples and Families - Elizabeth Bruce