Male Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder 441
Specify whether:
Lifelong:  The disturbance has been present since the individual became sexually
active.
Acquired:  The disturbance began after a period of relatively normal sexual function.
Specify whether:
Generalized:  Not limited to certain types of stimulation, situations, or partners.
Situational: Only occurs with certain types of stimulation, situations, or partners.
Specify current severity:
Mild:  Evidence of mild distress over the symptoms in Criterion A.
Moderate: Evidence of moderate distress ov er the symptoms in Criterion A.
Severe:  Evidence of severe or extreme distress over the symptoms in Criterion A.
Diagnostic Features 
When an assessment for male hypoactive sexu al desire disorder is being made, inter-
personal context must be take n into account. A “desire discrepancy,” in which a man has
lower desire for sexual activity than his partne r, is not sufficient to diagnose male hypo-
active sexual desire d isorder. Both low/absent desire fo r sex and deficient/absent sexual
thoughts or fantasies are required for a diag nosis of the disorder. There may be variation
across men in how sexual desire is expressed. 
The lack of desire for sex and deficient/absent erotic though ts or fantasies must be per-
sistent or recurrent and must occur for a mi nimum duration of approximately 6 months.
The inclusion of this duration criterion is me ant to safeguard against making a diagnosis in
cases in which a man’s low sexual desire may represent an adaptive response to adverse
life conditions (e.g., concern about a partner’s pregnancy when the man is considering ter-
minating the relationship). The introduction of “approximately” in Criterion B allows for
clinician judgment in cases in which sympto m duration does not meet the recommended
6-month threshold.