Case Illustration · Applied Exercise

Across the Ace Spectrum

A referral arrives already framed as low sexual interest. This exercise works through what the history actually supports.

The referral

A client in their late twenties is referred by their family physician for low sexual interest. They report never having experienced strong spontaneous sexual attraction to anyone, and describe enjoying physical intimacy with their partner while not seeking it out. They report no distress about their own sexual experience, and significant distress about their partner's hurt feelings and their partner's belief that low desire represents a relational problem.

The client has not identified as asexual.

Estimated time to complete this exercise: 10 minutes

1The history
2Distress
3Both partners
4Close

Part 1 of 4

Which features of this history argue against a desire disorder formulation?

Select all that do. Three of the six. You get one submission.

References

  1. American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed., text rev.). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425787
  2. Bogaert, A. F. (2004). Asexuality: Prevalence and associated factors in a national probability sample. Journal of Sex Research, 41(3), 279–287. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224490409552235
  3. Bogaert, A. F. (2015). Asexuality: What it is and why it matters. Journal of Sex Research, 52(4), 362–379. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2015.1015713
  4. Brotto, L. A., & Yule, M. (2017). Asexuality: Sexual orientation, paraphilia, sexual dysfunction, or none of the above? Archives of Sexual Behavior, 46(3), 619–627. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-016-0802-7