Sexsomnia aka Sleep Sex and Sexual Behavior Sleep is a parasomnia (sleep disorder) that causes a person to engage in sexual relations while asleep with no memory of the event.

Evidently, my aspirations and faith in the APA to formerly recognize sexsomnia are misguided to say the least.

Sexsomnia is a truly terrifying condition to those truly afflicted by this disorder. An ailment that they no more asked for than a person requests cancer.

To this end, I will continue onward as an advocate for Sexsomnia Awareness. Until the day Sexsomnia is recognized as a legitimate disorder by the APA and DSM, taken seriously for extensively funded research to effect positive and healthy treatment for those suffering from sexsomnia.

Based upon this article and my research into the DSM V, launching Sexsomniacs Journey (http://sexsomniacsjourney.com/about/) for Sexsomniacs, those who love us, and the curious as a path to understanding and healing was needed to bring forth further dialogue of and universal enlightenment of this very little known and extremely misunderstood parasomnia, Sexsomnia.

Let us keep up the good fight for ensuring all valid conditions, not only sexsomnia, are formerly registered with the APA for inclusion into the DSM.

Take care and be well.

Respectfully,
Concerned Sexsomniac

“”As with all mental disorders, sleep disorders must cause a significant impact or distress in the person’s normal, everyday functioning in their life — work, at home, and at play. All of the sleep disorders listed above are proposed to generally not be diagnosed if directly caused by a known medical condition, disease, or impairment in the person’s health.”"

As someone with sleep apnea, I am totally perplexed by these comments as this is caused by a medical condition that frankly, in my opinion, has no business being in the DSM. How a disorder that is due to stopping breathing during sleep ended up in the DSM is beyond me.

I guess if this compelled psychiatrists to routinely order sleep studies before subjecting people to needless drugs who have sleep apnea, it would be more tolerable. But that isn’t what is happening and is a disgrace.

By the way John, as I am sure you are well aware, many people with apnea had no clue how impaired they were. It was only when they were fully treated with a cpap machine, did they realize how wrong they were. So if a medical professional be it a psychiatrist or doctor is making a diagnosis based on someone’s perception of how impaired they are regarding their sleep, that would be a huge mistake that could result in a horrific tragedy.

I am surprised by the exclusion of hypersomnias on this list unless Dr. Grohol forgot them.

I am always interested in the circadian rhythm disorders, because I definitely meet those criteria. Here I am at 3:30 AM wide awake and wondering if I will be able to be awake at the proper times during the day – I’m seriously challenged in the morning, as that’s my best sleeping time. I have read research that draws connections between circadian rhythm and mood disorders, and see evidence of that in myself. I’m particularly interested in how the Sleep Disorders Workgroup, or anyone else, would suggest treating this. None of the therapists I have gone to have cared about circadian rhythm. They tend to dismiss it.

One thing that I have learned is that it isn’t helpful generally to identify problems without also identifying solutions.

So if I am excessively tired for two days a year and cannot seem to function well during these two days, then I am suffering from a disorder?

To be perfectly honest, half of the diagnoses there sound like adolescence, and the other half like old age. My circadian rhythm is totally out of sync with the rest of the world, but at least I am sleeping nowadays… So, I really don’t mean to say that a person suffering from these symptoms for an extended period of time was not suffering*, but to the layman that I am, the list above seems to imply that sleeping per se warrants a diagnosis, now.