Exhibitionism – A Case Report and Review of Literature

Paraphilias are psychiatric disorders of abnormal sexual behaviour that are usually conceptualized as deviant in nature. (1). There is a dearth of epidemiological data on the paraphilias for the following reasons: (i) under-reporting due to concealment, (ii) ego-syntonic disposition of the patient to his/her paraphilic practice, and (iii) missed diagnosis when they present. There is a paucity of case reports and controlled therapy outcome studies on the effectiveness of treatment, particularly from sub-Saharan Africa. This necessitated this case report of a 26 year-old male who presented with Depressive disorder and Exhibitionism. He was treated successfully with Clomipramine and Cognitive behaviour therapy techniques. The literature is reviewed with a note on the cultural dimension to this problem. It is suggested that routine prompts and/or questions probing the ‘cause-effect' relationship as well as the associated factors that patients confer on their complaints can go far in revealing hidden psychopathologies. Keywords: Paraphilia, Exhibitionism, Courtship disorders Nigerian Medical Practitioner Vol.45(5) 2004: 76-79