Transvestic fetishism is a

psychiatric diagnosis Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of deleterious mental conditions. These include matters related to cognition, perceptions, mood, emotion, and behavior. Initial psychiatric assessment of ...

applied in some countries to people who are sexually aroused by the act of

cross-dressing Cross-dressing is the act of wearing clothes traditionally or stereotypically associated with a different gender. From as early as pre-modern history, cross-dressing has been practiced in order to disguise, comfort, entertain, and express onesel ...

and experience significant distress or impairment – socially or occupationally – because of their behavior. However in countries which have adopted the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Gen ...

standard

ICD-11 CDDR The ICD-11 is the eleventh revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD). It replaces the ICD-10 as the global standard for recording health information and causes of death. The ICD is developed and annually updated by the World H ...

it is not a diagnosis, but been deprecated in favor of the more general "Paraphilic disorder involving solitary behavior or consenting individuals". In countries, such as the United States as of 2025, which use the American Psychiatric Association

DSM-5 The ''Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition'' (DSM-5), is the 2013 update to the '' Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders'', the taxonomic and diagnostic tool published by the American Psychiat ...

it is categorized as a

paraphilic A paraphilia is an experience of recurring or intense sexual arousal to atypical objects, places, situations, fantasies, behaviors, or individuals. It has also been defined as a sexual interest in anything other than a legally consenting human ...

disorder Disorder may refer to randomness, a lack of intelligible pattern, or: Healthcare * Disorder (medicine), a functional abnormality or disturbance * Mental disorder or psychological disorder, a psychological pattern associated with distress or disab ...

under the name transvestic disorder. It differs from

without distress or impairment, or for entertainment or other purposes that do not involve

sexual arousal Sexual arousal (also known as sexual excitement) describes the Physiology, physiological and psychological responses in preparation for sexual intercourse or when exposed to Sexual stimulation, sexual stimuli. A number of physiological response ...

Diagnosis

DSM-5

The

states that late-onset

gender dysphoria Gender dysphoria (GD) is the distress a person experiences due to inconsistency between their gender identitytheir personal sense of their own genderand their sex assigned at birth. The term replaced the previous diagnostic label of gender i ...

in adolescent and adult natal males is preceded by "transvestic behavior with sexual excitement" in many cases. According to

DSM-IV The ''Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders'' (''DSM''; latest edition: ''DSM-5-TR'', published in March 2022) is a publication by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) for the classification of mental disorders using a com ...

, transvestic fetishism was limited to

heterosexual Heterosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between people of the opposite sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, heterosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions ...

men; however, the DSM-5 does not have this restriction, and opens it to women and men with this interest, regardless of their

sexual orientation Sexual orientation is an enduring personal pattern of romantic attraction or sexual attraction (or a combination of these) to persons of the opposite sex or gender, the same sex or gender, or to both sexes or more than one gender. Patterns ar ...

. It is, however, usually documented in men. There are two key criteria before a psychiatric diagnosis of "transvestic fetishism" is made:American Psychiatric Association. (2000). ''Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders'' (4th ed., text rev.). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Publishing. # Individuals must be sexually aroused by the act of cross-dressing. # Individuals must experience significant distress or impairment – socially or occupationally – because of their behavior.

References

; * {{Crossdressing footer Cross-dressing Fashion-related fetishism Gender identity Paraphilias Sexual fetishism Sexual roleplay