Dr. Holoyda is Forensic Psychiatrist, Martinez Detention Facility, Martinez, CA, and Psychiatrist, Full Spectrum Health Services, Las Vegas, NV. Dr. Sorrentino is Director, Institute of Sexual Wellness, Weymouth, MA, and Assistant Professor, Harvard School of Medicine, Boston, MA. Dr. Mohebbi is Psychiatrist, Mission Viejo, CA. Dr. Fernando is Senior Lecturer, Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand. Dr. Friedman is the Phillip J. Resnick Professor of Forensic Psychiatry, Case Western Reserve University, Department of Psychiatry, Cleveland, OH.
J Am Acad Psychiatry Law. 2021 Jun;49(2):202-210. doi: 10.29158/JAAPL.200077-20. Epub 2021 Feb 12.
Sexsomnia is a non-rapid eye movement parasomnic behavior characterized by sexual activity during sleep. Recognized in the most recent editions of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and the International Classification of Sleep Disorders, sexsomnia is likely to arise with increasing frequency in court as a potential explanation for sexual offending. The forensic psychiatrist has a unique role in the evaluation and management of sexsomnia. The psychosexual evaluation may elucidate the presence or absence of paraphilias and paraphilic disorders and identify any overlap between the alleged sexsomnic behavior and paraphilic interest. In addition, forensic psychiatrists may assess for malingered sexsomnia, provide an opinion regarding criminal responsibility, or evaluate the risk for committing future sexual offenses. Forensic psychiatrists should therefore understand basic information regarding the disorder, as well as how to conduct a psychosexual evaluation effectively in cases of alleged sexsomnia. This article describes the various considerations involved in the forensic evaluation of sexsomnia.
性梦行为是一种非快速眼动睡眠障碍下的行为，其特征是睡眠期间发生性行为。性梦行为已被最近版的《精神障碍诊断与统计手册》和《国际睡眠障碍分类》所承认，随着性犯罪的潜在解释在法庭上越来越频繁地出现，性梦行为也可能越来越频繁地出现。法医精神病学家在性梦行为的评估和管理中具有独特的作用。性心理评估可以阐明是否存在性癖好和性癖好障碍，并确定所声称的性梦行为与性癖好之间是否存在重叠。此外，法医精神病学家可以评估是否为伪装的性梦行为，提供关于刑事责任的意见，或评估未来性犯罪的风险。因此，法医精神病学家应该了解有关该疾病的基本信息，以及如何在涉嫌性梦行为的情况下有效地进行性心理评估。本文描述了在性梦行为的法医评估中涉及的各种考虑因素。
