Pedophilia 3

Prohibited Sexual Behavior and Sexual Violence

Adult Sexual Contact with Children: Pedophilia 3

Most pedophiles who appear for psychiatric treatment do so because of a court order, although some also volunteer. They usually undergo some form of psychotherapy, but in certain cases this may be combined with some medication that dampens their sexual urges. On the whole, the therapeutic success is uncertain. In most cases, the pedophile’s sexual interest in children remains, but if he learns to control his impulses and to stay clear of the law, one considers it an acceptable outcome.
In recent years, a debate has arisen about the usefulness of listing pedophilia among the paraphilias as a mental disorder. The American diagnostic handbook (DSM-IV-TR) has been criticized for specifying that pedophilia is associated with
“clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning”. For the critics, this implies that a happily functioning adult who is not distressed by his sexual contact with children is not a pedophile. (The authors of the handbook, however, never intended this implication.) On the other hand, some specialists believe that the DSM listing is misguided in any case, because it provides pedophiles with a convenient excuse – if they are mentally ill, they are not responsible for their behavior (see here). Others object to the listing for a different reason: The fact alone that a behavior is immoral and/or criminal does not necessarily make it a symptom of illness. And what if the behavior is socially accepted as it was in various cultures and various times? Were all the adults involved mentally ill? What about non-pedophiles who have some erotic fantasies about children? What if they also act on these fantasies? And finally: What about the pedophile who refrains from any sexual contact with children? By what criterion can or should he be called mentally disordered? Is it in the interest of psychiatry to establish itself as a “thought police”? Isn’t it better to deal only with overt sexual acts? Shouldn’t one leave morality to the moral authorities and crime to the legislatures, the police, and the courts? (1)

(1) Richard Green, MD, JD, “Is Pedophilia a Mental Disorder?”, Archives of Sexual Behavior, vol. 31, Nr. 6

[Course 6] [Description] [How to use it] [Introduction] [Development] [Basic Types] [Variations] [Prohibited Behavior] [Sex with Children] [Prostitution] [Sexual Violence] [Additional Reading] [Examination]