Fetishistic Disorders

Abstract: The term fetish was originally used to describe inanimate objects that had religious or spiritual significance. By the early 20th century, the term was also used to describe the condition of being sexually aroused by a specific inanimate object or class of objects. Since then, fetishism has expanded to include reference to a sexual interest in animate objects (e.g., body parts) and/or specific sexual activities (e.g., sex in dangerous places) or a combination of both an object and activity (e.g., transvestic fetishism). This chapter provides a review of uses of the term fetish. Criteria from the Fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and the International Classification of Diseases are presented and discussed. Etiologic theories and treatment approaches are presented and reviewed. A review of the recent literature on these topics is presented.