Multiplex Versus Multiple Taxonomy of Paraphilia: Case Example

Abstract

Several different paraphilias are presently diagnosed in some individuals whereas a more parsimonious taxonomy would be that of one multiplex paraphilia. A multiplex paraphilia may be expressed by variations of content at different times in an individual's life or in different situations. The present case example shows the unfolding of a multiplex paraphilia over a lifetime. At age 7 the subject was dressed in public as a girl wearing a diaper as a humiliation for bed-wetting. This experience had 3 paraphilic components that were separately manifested at different times in his life: fetishistic transvestism, pedophilic incest, and infantilism. A multiplex paraphilia taxonomy may lead to improved identification of etiology, prognosis, and treatment of paraphilia.