Exhibitionism

The main feature of Exhibitionism consists of intense sexually arousing fantasies involving the exposure of genitalia to unsuspecting strangers over a period of 6 months.

The person must have acted on these sexual urges, or the sexual urges or fantasies cause marked distress or interpersonal difficulty.

Sometimes the individual masturbates while exposing himself (or while fantasizing exposing himself). If the person acts on these urges, there is generally no attempt at further sexual activity with the stranger. In some cases, the individual is aware of a desire to surprise or shock the observer.

In other cases, the individual has the sexually arousing fantasy that the observer will become sexually aroused. The onset usually occurs before age 18 years, although it can begin at a later age. Few arrests are made in the older age groups, which may suggest that the condition becomes less severe after age 40 years.

Diagnostic criteria summarized from:

American Psychiatric Association. (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, fourth edition. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.