Sexual killers and testosterone

» DutchDude - Is there a link.......

Assuming all serial killers are sexual killers and their crimes find their origins in the fantasies they probably already have been developing as a child but become more and more sexual related during puberty and adolescence, could there be a linkage between testosterone
( being the libido regulator )level,and tendency to developparaphiliass? And if so, would medication which declines libido such as some anti-depressants or anti-androgens or even surgical castration possibly have influence on a serial killers fantasies?

-- posted by DutchDude

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» DutchDude - Re: Is there a link.......

In response to message posted by DutchDude:

This is what I found up till now.....
SEXUAL DEVIANCY: NEW CLUES ABOUT
CAUSES, TREATMENTS
Prisoners arrested for pedophilia, exhibitionism or other sexually deviant acts often receive psychotherapy-an approach which unfortunately does little to stop them from re-offending. A new report on paraphilias (socially deviant, repetitive, arousing sexual fantasies, urges, and activities) suggests that medical approaches may be far more effective in treating sexual deviancy.

Martin Kafka, who notes that individuals with paraphilias generally exhibit multiple sexual impulsivity disorders, theorizes that such disorders involve abnormalities of the brain chemicals serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine, collectively known as monoamines. Among the evidence he cites:

Depleting central [brain] serotonin in rats causes them to exhibit "compulsive" sexual behavior.
The sexual behavior of castrated male rats can be restored with a combination of low-dose testosterone and a serotonin-reducing drug, while low doses of testosterone alone fail to restore sexual activity.
Yohimbine and idozoxan, drugs that enhance norepinephrine's activity, facilitate the sexual behavior of rats, while drugs that reduce norepinephrine's activity have the opposite effect.
Drugs that blockade dopamine receptors can abolish all sexual behavior in male rats, while drugs that increase dopamine's effects enhance copulatory behavior in male rats.
While it's easier to study sexual behavior in rats than in humans, Kafka says that existing human research also points to monoamines as a factor in paraphilias. For instance, he notes, Prozac and other serotonin-enhancing drugs "have been reported to produce a high frequency of human sexual dysfunction side effects including the cluster of loss of sexual desire and impaired copulatory response in males"-an indication that high serotonin levels in the brain can inhibit sexual desire and performance. Drugs that blockade dopamine receptors decrease sexual appetite, while dopamine enhancing drugs such as L-DOPA can lead to increased sexual desire.
Because testosterone and other sex hormones affect levels of monoamines, Kafka says, "it is most likely that hormones and monoamine neurotransmitters interact in a dynamic fashion that determines the form and intensity of drive behaviors, including sexual behavior." Pointing to the high incidence of depression, anxiety, impulsivity, compulsiveness, and aggression in paraphilics, Kafka notes that reduced serotonin levels are linked to all of these behavior abnormalities. He also notes that alterations in norepinephrine have been reported in sensation-seeking individuals.

If Kafka's theory is correct, drug therapies that alter monoamine levels should lead to changes in paraphilic behavior. Indeed, Kafka says, studies show that drugs that alter monoamine levels can alter sexually deviant behavior. Among research findings:

A double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study found that both clomipramine (a serotonin-enhancing drug) and desipramine (a norepinephrine-enhancing drug) helped reduce paraphilic behavior.
Several case studies and two open trial studies indicate that Prozac reduces paraphilic behavior. While Prozac is most often used to treat depression, and many of the treated paraphilics had co-existing depression, Kafka says that "a positive treatment response was independent of baseline depression rating."
In a 12-week open trial of sertraline, another serotonin-enhancing drug, researchers reported decreased pedophilic fantasies and other deviant behaviors among personality disordered pedophiles taking the drug.
While Kafka says more research is needed, he believes "the most recent data [suggest] that serotonergic agents may represent a contemporary advance in the treatment of deviant sexuality."

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"A monoamine hypothesis for the pathophysiology of paraphilic disorders," Martin P. Kafka, Archives of Sexual Behavior, Vol. 26, No. 4, 1997. Address: Martin P. Kafka, McLean Hospital, 115 Mill Street, Belmont, MA 02178.

-- posted by DutchDude

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