BDSM: A Sexual Deviance Rather a Sexual Culture An Overview

Since ancient time, sex and sex related aspects have generated controversies in terms of philosophical, medical and criminal point of view. Paraphilias are among the most popular as well as complicated sexual deviances. Their documented prevalence and their actual existence follow the iceberg phenomenon, with the part of ice above water represented by documented prevalence and the part below it by its actual existence. The terms “Sadism and Masochism” are comparatively well known, but as a part of its native term “BDSM” is not that much familiar, as specially in our Medical education. BDSM term is actually pairing of multiple terms like “Bondage with Discipline”, “Dominance with Submission” and “Sadism with Masochism”. However, its actual origin is unclear. In present era, BDSM has become a sexual culture for their practitioners and for the general population it is still a sexual perversion. This article aims to focus on various terminologies of BDSM along with their historical, legal and psychological aspects.