Impulsivity in sexual offenders – new ideas or back to basics?

Despite the fact that the group of sexual offenders remains a population which is still difficult to study, the results of current research are considered novel and interesting. Surprisingly, the very old descriptions applying to paraphilia, which is considered to be one of the reasons of sexual offences, appear to be accurate, especially in the context of similarities between impulsivity and pathologic sexual behaviors. Notably, the nomenclature concerning impulsivity enables a specific and reasonable description of behaviors associated with sexual offences. Moreover, the results of research studies show that it is the lack of inhibition, not pathologic arousal, which is the most important factor in the pathogenesis of forbidden sexual behaviors. In addition, it has been shown that behavioral manifestations of impulsivity (substance abuse, suicide attempts) appear commonly in sexual offenders.Mutual relationships between alcohol drinking, suicide attempts, history of child sexual abuse and sexual offences, in symptomatologic and etiologic aspect, raise a suggestion that all these phenomena may share a common background of poor inhibitory control.