Martin Kafka
Encyclopedia
Martin Paul Kafka is an American
psychiatrist
best known for his work on sex offender
s, paraphilia
s and what he calls "paraphilia-related disorders" such as sex addiction and hypersexuality
.
in 1968 and his M.D.
cum laude in 1973 from the Medical College at SUNY Downstate Medical Center
. He completed his psychiatric residency at the University of Michigan
Medical Center in 1977.
He was Clinical Instructor of Psychiatry at University Hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan
from 1977 to 1983. He has taught at Harvard Medical School
since 1983 and is affiliated with McLean Hospital
. In 1999 Kafka was elected a full member of the International Academy of Sex Research
. He joined the editorial board of Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment in 1999 and Sexual Addiction & Compulsivity: The Journal of Treatment and Prevention in 2001. Kafka was a charter member of the International Association for the Treatment of Sex Offenders (IATSO) in 2000. He has been president of the Massachusetts Chapter of the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers (MATSA) from 2002–2008 and a member of the national ATSA ethics committee from 2004-05. In 2010 he was named a Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association
. In 2008, Kafka was selected to be a member of the American Psychiatric Association's Work Group on Sexual and Gender Identity Disorder for the development of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
Fifth Edition, due for publication in 2012.
Kafka was the only American in a panel of eight non-Catholic scientists commissioned by the church to prepare a report on Catholic sex abuse cases. His article questioned whether "Catholic clerical education and socialization could be associated with an increased risk of expressing or experimenting with socially immature but aberrant sexual behaviors."
Kafka notes that "we don't know" the causes of atypical sexual behaviors. He cautions that "the research is in infancy," but it appears that physiological factors and environmental factors may both play roles. Though sexual abusers of children are more likely to have been child sexual-abuse victims themselves, "most pedophiles have not been sexually abused." Kafka believes "social skills deficits" can be a factor.
Kafka’s work on hypersexuality
bases an evaluation on total sexual outlet. While previous treatments attempted to reduce androgen
levels via chemical castration
, Kafka uses drugs that regulate monoamines such as dopamine
and norepinephrine
, but especially serotonin
. He states that "sexual deviance is linked to an as-yet-unidentified disregulation affecting the serotonin system." After treating a sex offender among a group of people diagnosed with eating disorder
s, Kafka connected the two: "I began to see that the sex offenders were just like the bulimics. Both groups were suffering from a disregulation of appetite."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
psychiatrist
Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
best known for his work on sex offender
Sex offender
A sex offender is a person who has committed a sex crime. What constitutes a sex crime differs by culture and by legal jurisdiction. Most jurisdictions compile their laws into sections such as traffic, assault, sexual, etc. The majority of convicted sex offenders have convictions for crimes of a...
s, paraphilia
Paraphilia
Paraphilia is a biomedical term used to describe sexual arousal to objects, situations, or individuals that are not part of normative stimulation and that may cause distress or serious problems for the paraphiliac or persons associated with him or her...
s and what he calls "paraphilia-related disorders" such as sex addiction and hypersexuality
Hypersexuality
Hypersexuality is extremely frequent or suddenly increased sexual urges or sexual activity. Hypersexuality is typically associated with lowered sexual inhibitions. Although hypersexuality can be caused by some medical conditions or medications, in most cases the cause is unknown...
.
Career
Kafka earned his undergraduate degree at Columbia College of Columbia UniversityColumbia College of Columbia University
Columbia College is the oldest undergraduate college at Columbia University, situated on the university's main campus in Morningside Heights in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1754 by the Church of England as King's College, receiving a Royal Charter from King George II...
in 1968 and his M.D.
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
cum laude in 1973 from the Medical College at SUNY Downstate Medical Center
SUNY Downstate Medical Center
The State University of New York Health Science Center at Brooklyn, better known as SUNY Downstate Medical Center, is a public university and medical center located in central Brooklyn, New York and the only academic center for health education, research, and patient care serving Brooklyn’s 2.5...
. He completed his psychiatric residency at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
Medical Center in 1977.
He was Clinical Instructor of Psychiatry at University Hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...
from 1977 to 1983. He has taught at Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School is the graduate medical school of Harvard University. It is located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts....
since 1983 and is affiliated with McLean Hospital
McLean Hospital
McLean Hospital is a psychiatric hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts.It is noted for its clinical staff expertise and ground-breaking neuroscience research...
. In 1999 Kafka was elected a full member of the International Academy of Sex Research
International Academy of Sex Research
The International Academy of Sex Research is a scientific society for researchers in sexology. According to John Bancroft, retired director of the Kinsey Institute, IASR "can claim...most of the field's leading researchers." IASR is unique among sexology organizations in that individuals must...
. He joined the editorial board of Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment in 1999 and Sexual Addiction & Compulsivity: The Journal of Treatment and Prevention in 2001. Kafka was a charter member of the International Association for the Treatment of Sex Offenders (IATSO) in 2000. He has been president of the Massachusetts Chapter of the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers (MATSA) from 2002–2008 and a member of the national ATSA ethics committee from 2004-05. In 2010 he was named a Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association
American Psychiatric Association
The American Psychiatric Association is the main professional organization of psychiatrists and trainee psychiatrists in the United States, and the most influential worldwide. Its some 38,000 members are mainly American but some are international...
. In 2008, Kafka was selected to be a member of the American Psychiatric Association's Work Group on Sexual and Gender Identity Disorder for the development of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders is published by the American Psychiatric Association and provides a common language and standard criteria for the classification of mental disorders...
Fifth Edition, due for publication in 2012.
Kafka was the only American in a panel of eight non-Catholic scientists commissioned by the church to prepare a report on Catholic sex abuse cases. His article questioned whether "Catholic clerical education and socialization could be associated with an increased risk of expressing or experimenting with socially immature but aberrant sexual behaviors."
Kafka notes that "we don't know" the causes of atypical sexual behaviors. He cautions that "the research is in infancy," but it appears that physiological factors and environmental factors may both play roles. Though sexual abusers of children are more likely to have been child sexual-abuse victims themselves, "most pedophiles have not been sexually abused." Kafka believes "social skills deficits" can be a factor.
Kafka’s work on hypersexuality
Hypersexuality
Hypersexuality is extremely frequent or suddenly increased sexual urges or sexual activity. Hypersexuality is typically associated with lowered sexual inhibitions. Although hypersexuality can be caused by some medical conditions or medications, in most cases the cause is unknown...
bases an evaluation on total sexual outlet. While previous treatments attempted to reduce androgen
Androgen
Androgen, also called androgenic hormone or testoid, is the generic term for any natural or synthetic compound, usually a steroid hormone, that stimulates or controls the development and maintenance of male characteristics in vertebrates by binding to androgen receptors...
levels via chemical castration
Chemical castration
Chemical castration is the administration of medication designed to reduce libido and sexual activity, usually in the hope of preventing rapists, child molesters and other sex offenders from repeating their crimes...
, Kafka uses drugs that regulate monoamines such as dopamine
Dopamine
Dopamine is a catecholamine neurotransmitter present in a wide variety of animals, including both vertebrates and invertebrates. In the brain, this substituted phenethylamine functions as a neurotransmitter, activating the five known types of dopamine receptors—D1, D2, D3, D4, and D5—and their...
and norepinephrine
Norepinephrine
Norepinephrine is the US name for noradrenaline , a catecholamine with multiple roles including as a hormone and a neurotransmitter...
, but especially serotonin
Serotonin
Serotonin or 5-hydroxytryptamine is a monoamine neurotransmitter. Biochemically derived from tryptophan, serotonin is primarily found in the gastrointestinal tract, platelets, and in the central nervous system of animals including humans...
. He states that "sexual deviance is linked to an as-yet-unidentified disregulation affecting the serotonin system." After treating a sex offender among a group of people diagnosed with eating disorder
Eating disorder
Eating disorders refer to a group of conditions defined by abnormal eating habits that may involve either insufficient or excessive food intake to the detriment of an individual's physical and mental health. Bulimia nervosa, anorexia nervosa, and binge eating disorder are the most common specific...
s, Kafka connected the two: "I began to see that the sex offenders were just like the bulimics. Both groups were suffering from a disregulation of appetite."
External links
- Martin P. Kafka profile via McLean Hospital