Frotteurism is characterized by either intense sexually arousing fantasies, urges, or behaviors in which the individual touches or rubs against a non-consenting person in a sexual manner. This often occurs in somewhat conspicuous situations such as on a crowded bus or subway. The person generally disappears into a throng of people. Frotteurism usually begins in adolescence and the abnormal behavior tends to decrease when the man reaches his late twenties. To be considered diagnosable, according to the DSM-IV, this behavior must be present over a period of at least 6 months, be recurrent, and the fantasies, urges, or behaviors must cause significant distress in the individual, or be disruptive to his or her everyday functioning. The person either must have acted on these urges, or have marked distress or interpersonal difficulty.…
