Sadistic Personality Disorder - Removal From The DSM

Removal From The DSM

Numerous theorists and clinicians introduced Sadistic Personality Disorder to the DSM in 1987 and it was placed in the DSM-III-R as a way to facilitate further systematic clinical study and research. It was proposed to be included because of adults who possessed sadistic personality traits but were not being labeled, even though their victims were being labeled with a self-defeating personality disorder. There were many concerns regarding confusion about which diagnoses were approved for clinical practice and which were not. SPD was removed from the DSM-IV because there have been so few studies of it, since not many people have sought treatment. For the most part, SPD is found in certain groups of people like sexual offenders and serial killers, so it is not considered a helpful diagnosis. Theorists like Theodore Millon wanted to generate further study on SPD so proposed it to the DSM-IV Personality Disorder Work Group, who rejected it. Since it was not included in the DSM-IV, it has been said that dimensional models of sadism might be more appropriate than SPD.

Sexual sadism that "causes clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning" is still in DSM-IV.