Diagnosis

DSM diagnostic criteria 

Individual must meet both of the following criteria to receive a Frotteuristic Disorder diagnoses:

A) Over a period of at least 6 months, recurrent and intense sexual arousal from touching or rubbing against a non-consenting person, as manifested by fantasies, urges, or behaviors.

B) The individual has acted on these sexual urges with a non-consenting person, or the sexual urges or fantasies cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.

When COULD I diagnose?

• When an individual freely discloses their frotteuristic urges or behaviors AND they experience psychosocial impairment/distress because of it
• When an individual firmly denies any sexual attraction from frotteuristic urges or behaviors AND:
• this person is known to have been touching/rubbing against non-consenting individuals on separate occasions
•  May report that identified episodes of touching/rubbing against an unwilling individual were all unintentional and nonsexual
• May disclose past episodes of touching/rubbing but deny any major or persistent sexual interest in this
• Note: Due to denial, this individual would reject distress or impairment to functioning
• This type of individual may ONLY be diagnosed if:
• Recurring (3 or more separate occasions) frotteuristic behavior and this paraphilically motivated behavior is causing harm to others

When COULDN'T I diagnose?

• When an individual freely discloses their frotteuristic urges or behaviors AND:
• they experience no distress, are not impaired in other important areas of functioning, and their psychiatric/legal histories indicate that they do not act on them
• Note: this individual could be defined as having a frotteuristic sexual interest, but NOT a frotteuristic disorder

Specifiers to Diagnosis

• In a controlled environment
• The individual still experiences urges/fantasies, however their ability to act on them is restricted so the behaviors are not present
• Ex) An individual living in an institutional setting where opportunities to touch or rub against a non-consenting person are restricted
• In full remission
• the individual has not acted on their frotteuristic urges with a non-consenting person, and there has been no distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other areas of functioning for at least 5 years, while in an uncontrolled environment
• This individual may still have urges/fantasies, but they are not acted upon, and they experience no distress

References:

American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and 
     statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Washington, DC: 
     Author.

Långström, N. Arch Sex Behav (2010) 39: 317. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-009-9577-4