Exhibitionism - Causes, Symptoms & Treatment

Exhibitionism involves nonconsenting persons. Exhibitionism" commonly denotes a sexual perversion in which satisfaction is linked to the displaying of one's genital parts. Exhibitionism is described in the DSM-IV-TR as the exposure of one's genitals to a stranger, usually with no intention of further sexual activity with the other person. Social and sexual relationships may suffer if the behavior is found disturbing or if the individual's sexual partner refuses to cooperate with this particular preference. Exhibitionism also does not necessarily imply alterations of the psychiatric condition of the average, everyday individual, unless the individual does such actions compulsively in an effort to grab the attention s/he feels entitled to yet does not get in other aspects of life. Although this condition appears to be a life-long problem if not treated, the condition often becomes less severe by age 40. There are a small number of documented cases of men becoming exhibitionists following traumatic brain injury (TBI) without previous histories of alcohol abuse or sexual offenses.