Oh, I don't know; looking back on my time in the scene, I don't think it unreasonable to say that most of the people I knew who practiced BDSM -- myself include

Oh, I don't know; looking back on my time in the scene, I don't think it unreasonable to say that most of the people I knew who practiced BDSM -- myself included -- were in some way "damaged", if that's the word you want to use. Of course such is not by any means required, but in at least some cohorts there's a strong correlation.