I reviewed a recent video clip from a well respected healthcare reporter. The subject matter of the report was sexual fetishisms. The reporter basically interviewed two working pschycologists that treat individuals with sexual fetishes.

It was agreed by these practicing pschycologists that it is necessary to treat people that need some outside stimulation from inanimate objects to fulfill their sexual needs. They both said that this ‘deviant’ behavior should or can be treated in different ways including shock therapy or drugs.

The question that comes to mind after watching this clip was; “Is having a sexual fetish really a deviant behavior?” I put the question out on the web just to see what types of answers I might get. I’ve detailed just a few of the hundreds of answers I got below.

1. “For a long time any thing that was not the missionary position in sex was considered deviant. And there are still some fetishes that are down right spooky so they would still be considered abnormal psychology think of bestiality. And partly because the DSM hasn’t been revised completely in over 15 years and look how much things have changed in regards to homosexuality in that time.”

2. “Technically, a sexual fetish is something that a person cannot perform sexually without. If a man has a fetish for kidney beans, he CAN NOT have sex without the presence of the beans. We tend to use the word “fetish” very loosely, as something that one is very attracted to, but that is not it’s proper meaning.”

3. “When it comes to sex, sexual behavior, sexual fantasies, blah blah blah…. the majority of the population, especially the “educated” are prudish conservatives.”

4. “What is really important, and is being treated as more important nowadays, is whether some behaviour is negatively affecting a person’s ability to lead a full life, or negatively affecting the people around him/her.”

“For example, a person who has a fetish for sex while driving fast is probably going to need counseling. But a person with a strawberries and cream fetish could well be fine in life, as long as strawberries can be imported during the winter months”

Most of the replies I got, over 70%, leaned definately toward acceptance of sexual fetishes. Given this wide social acceptance of sexual fetishes one must wonder if treatment is really necessary? Maybe acceptance is the answer. Consider this, 30 years ago homosexuality was considered a deviant sexual behavior, yet today it has been widely accepted by society and no longer considered even by the so called experts, to be a deviant behavior. Food for thought? or just B.S?