Dehumanization of the sexually disturbed is a serious clinical prob-
lem. In gathering the information we need to plan treatment, we
may overgeneralize the nature of their sexual disorder and fail to
understand how unique each sexually disturbed person really is. As
a result, the therapy is less precise. An element of desensitization
occurs when a therapist in training reads about the essential fea-
tures of psychosexual disorders. As we become familiar with the
frequency of occurrences, sex ratio, and what is known about pre-
disposing factors of the specific sexual disturbances, we are better
able to plan and deliver treatment to our sexually disturbed clients.

Material drawn from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of
Mental Disorders (DSM-III, 1980; DSM-III-R, 1987) furnishes
guidelines for basic understanding of the sexually disturbed. The
various disorders suffered by the sexually disturbed are coded sta-
tistically for communication purposes, and the classifications are
consistently revised to reflect changing knowledge and political
conditions. For example, the diagnosis "ego dystonic homosexual-
ity," which describes the condition experienced by Frank (Chapter
7), appeared in DSM-III ( 1980). However, the DSM-III-R ( 1987)
eliminated this diagnostic category, and Frank's diagnosis became
"other sexual disorders." Although this category is less precise, the
condition remains the same. Frank could not accept his homosex-
ual arousal response and sought instead to strengthen his weak

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