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Discussion #4:This week’s readings suggest that pedophilia is significantly misunderstood as a mental health disorder. Identify and discuss what some of these misunderstandings are. Follow up with providing an overview of your opinion if you feel pedophilia is a treatable disorder.  

Objectives:

CO1: Summarize the link between mental illness and criminal behavior.

CO2: Debate how mental health issues influence behavior.

CO3: Synthesize the mental health diagnosis of conduct disorder.

Classmate 1 Felice: Hello Professor and Class,

This week’s topic is definitely one of the most controversial topics of the psychological world. When I think of pedophilia, I think of sexual fantasies, acts, and abuse on children leading to exploitation. The DSM defines it as the consistent sexual interest of children, with thoughts arousal and behaviors (Seto, 2004). There are several misunderstandings for this type of behavior such as, is it a mental disorder, when does it become an actual disorder, and can it really be treated. In order to be diagnosed with a pedophilic disorder, an individual must have recurrent inappropriate thoughts of the child, the person has acted on the sexual urges, the individual is at least sixteen and five years older than the child or children (Porter, 2021). With this central definition of pedophilia, we can look at and see that it is pretty cut and dry, however, when we move more in depth as in what needs to be actively present to consider this a disorder and the will to act or actions behind it, the gray area of misunderstandings come about.

One misunderstanding is that when an individual only uses the image of a child during sexual fantasies, they are not considered to have a disorder. However, a person who is actually in severe distress and struggles with the urge to act, does have the disorder. Another misunderstanding is that pedophiliac disorder only occurs to individuals who are attracted to children prepubescents, therefore if there is a full grown adult that is attracted to a person younger than 18, but has gone through puberty, they are not considered in this criteria. Lastly, like all content we discuss in psychology is culture. There are several cultures where this is accepted. We have read and seen where there are several cultures where older men are made to marry, have sex (sometimes even rape) to produce heirs. There have been so many changes to the DSM within the last several years, there appears to never be a super clear definition of the disorder except for the distress of an an individual that has will or urges to act on the sexual fantasies they have about children before puberty.

My opinion, I honestly, have a pretty hefty opinion on this. I feel as though there is a sense of mental illness that goes along with having sexual fantasies about children. I believe that we has researchers and and clinicians need to continue to evaluate this disorder and even the symptoms and actions before it becomes a disorder. As far as treatment, I do not believe that there is a specific intervention for this disorder but there are options such as individual and group therapy that may somewhat help. When I think about children, I find them innocent and vulnerable and to know that there are individuals both men and women that prey on them and exploit their innocence feels beyond fixable. But despite my opinion, I will not say that nothing is fixable or curable because everyone does have the ability to change or get some help to change. With this, I do feel like there needs to be some very very intense treatment options just as it is for other serious disorders that people have.

I really enjoyed this week’s discussion because it creates a very healthy debate around pedophilia. I will say for myself, I get super worked up over this because it is just a serious and such a hurtful disorder but I also have to dial it back in and say that there are other disorders and behaviors that people have that are just as terrible but when there are children involved it just becomes so much more.

American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed., Text Rev.). Washington, DC: Author. 

Porter, D. (2021). Pedophilic disorder. https://www.theravive.com/therapedia/pedophilic-disorder-dsm–5-302.2-(f65.4)

Seto, M. C. (2004). Pedophilia and sexual offenses against children. Annual Review of Sex Research, 15, 321–361.

Classmate 2 Allen: Every week I first discuss the DSM criteria for the mental illness associated to the question(s) posed. Since we are talking about what society potentially misunderstands in regards to pedophilia, it is especially important to discuss the diagnostic criteria.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-V) (2013) gives the criterion for Pedophilic Disorder (302.2 (F65.4)). To be diagnosed with this disorder a person must experience intense sexually arousing fantasies or urges involving sexual activity with prepubescent children, over a period of at least six months, the individual has acted on these sexual urges, or the urges have caused serious distress. He or she is at least sixteen years of age and at least five years older than his or her victim. The DSM-V does note that the previous statement does not pertain to individuals in late adolescence who are involved in ongoing sexual relationships with twelve or thirteen-year-olds.

I found this interesting because something that is greatly misunderstood in pedophilia is that being attracted to adolescents under the age of 18, even when the adult is lets say 50 years old does not qualify for the diagnostic diagnosis. Even though it may be illegal to act on it, the diagnostic criteria states that pedophilia is limited to being attracted to prepubescent individuals. So, if there is a 50-year-old man who finds himself attracted to a 16-year-old who is post pubescent then those feelings are more understood. A female for instance who is sixteen and developed into a woman has the features and body types of adult women.

There are other issues with the DSM-V and what part of pedophilia must be present for the disorder to be present. The DSM criteria requires the person to have an association with present distress or disability. What is really interesting is that someone who is attracted to prepubescent children that does not act on it does not meet the clinical definition of pedophilia. This is so interesting to the question posed this week because how is it that someone who is sexually attracted to children does not have a mental disorder unless they act upon the feelings. I think that if this is truly a mental disorder, than both would be considered a disorder but of course be varying in the levels of the disorder and distress.

The other issue is that pedophilia has been practiced all throughout history and in many different cultures. Does this mean that many people have the disorder throughout history and all of these cultures? Ford and Beach (1951) discuss examples throughout many cultural examples where pedophilia was socially accepted. In North Africa there is a collection of males within a culture who have anal intercourse with boys. Men even exchange their sons to each other for this activity. Those who do not engage in this are considered peculiar. In central Australia there are men who are initiated in the tribe who are not married. They take a young boy as their wife for a few years until they are married.

Though this is a practice throughout the world and history, it is still wrong. Adults should not engage in sex with young people who are still developing and not mature enough to make conscious informed decisions about their partner. Also, cultures forcing young men to have intercourse with other men is absolutely barbaric and terrible. The question we are posed though is pedophilia in fact a mental disorder.

Like most things I have discussed at AMU, the answer’s are never certain, never definitive, and are always dependent on the person and the situation. Do some people have compulsive issues or have been victim to sexual crime and are not exhibiting sexual feelings toward youth? Yes. Do some people have cultural beliefs that make sex with prepubescent children okay? Yes. It just depends on the situation. Some people do have mental health disorders and some do not.   

According to Dr. J. Paul Federoff, M.D. (2016) there are interventions of pedophilia that work. Therapy that emphasizes consent is extremely important. All sex crimes with the exception of sex for hire involve a violation of consent. Group therapy is very helpful at any stage of recovery. The group therapy is based on trust within the group, and disclosing previous offenses is not required by the group.

Thanks for reading.

References

Edition, F. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. Am Psychiatric Assoc, 

21.

Fedoroff, J. P. (2016). Pedophilia: Interventions that work. Psychiatric times, 29.

Ford, C. S., & Beach, F A. (1951). Patterns of sexual behavior. New York: Harper & Row.

Green, R. (2002). Is pedophilia a mental disorder? Archives of Sexual Behavior, 31(6), 467-71; 

discussion 479-510. Retrieved from https://www-proquest-com.ezproxy2.apus.edu/scholarly-journals/is-pedophilia-mental-disorder/docview/205929533/se-2?accountid=8289

Classmate 3 Katie: The history of pedophilia as a mental health disorder is a confusing one. In the first edition of the DSM-1 in 1952 pedophilia was initially listed as a “sexual deviation” Pedophilia was labeled at this time as “sociopathic” because of its conflicts with society’s norms (American Psychiatric Association, 1952).Then in the second edition of DSM-ll in 1968 pedophilia stayed a “sexual deviation”, however the term “sociopathy” was removed making pedophilia then fall into a group of “nonpsychotic mental disorders.” (American Psychiatric Association, 1968). Furthermore, in the third edition of DSM-lll in 1980 pedophilia was included in the group of paraphilias. Pedophilia was diagnosed for sexual activity or fantasy of sex by an adult with a prepubescent child. The sexual acts needed to range from “repeatedly preferred” to the “ exclusive method of achieving sexual excitement”. It also isolated sexual acts with child did not warrant the diagnosis of pedophilia (American Psychiatric Association, 1980) In 1987 in the DSM-lll-R the requirements for pedophilia changed shifted once again. The new requirement add that sex with children needed to be “repeatedly preferred.” (American Psychiatric Association, 1987) However, pedophilia was diagnosed in individuals who also had a sexual interest in adult-adult sex.  Furthermore, as of 2000 in the DSM-IV the criteria for pedophilia require the association “present distress… or disability such as an impairment in one or more important areas of functioning or a significantly increased risk of suffering or a loss of freedom. The DSM-IV also states that deviant behavior i.e sexual along with the conflict those behaviors cause between society and the individual (such as jail time due to being convicted of being a pedophile) are mental disorders unless the deviance or conflict is a symptom of a dysfunction or disorder within the individual (American Psychiatric Association, 2000).

         As we can see the DSM has been ever changing with its stance on what qualifies as pedophilia and whether or not it is a mental disorder.  To paraphrase it best the DSM states that if a person only has fantasies and/or urges of pedophilia then they are not a pedophile. As well as the fact that the DSM feels its normal  if an individual pleasures themselves using a fantasy involving child and that this individual would not be diagnosed with a sexual pedophilia disorder. However, but an individual who does is distressed  over their fantasies and urges and has sexual contact with a child DOES have a mental disorder (American Psychiatric Association, 2000).

        As an individual who has spent time in jail and prison, I am pretty forgiving and feel that many people can be rehabilitate and treated for an array of disorders. However, with that being said one disorder that I do not feel is treatable is pedophilia. I am of the stance that any individual that can cause harm to a child especially for their sexual pleasure is beyond help.   I also am of the believe that an individual who has the fantasies and does not act is as guilty as the individual who acts on their fantasies.

Katie

References

American Psychiatric Association. (1952). Diagnostic and statistical manual.          Mental disorders. Washington, DC: Author.

American Psychiatric Association. (1968). Diagnostic and statistical manual of       mental disorders (2nd ed.). Washington, DC: Author.

American Psychiatric Association. (1980). Diagnostic and statistical manual of      mental disorders (3rd ed.). Washington, DC: Author.

American Psychiatric Association. (1987). Diagnostic and statistical manual of      mental disorders (3rd ed., Rev.). Washington, DC: Author.

American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of       mental disorders (4th ed., Text Rev.). Washington, DC: Author.

Green, R. (2002). Is pedophilia a mental disorder? Archives of Sexual Behavior, 31(6). Retrieved from https://search-proquest-        com.ezproxy2.apus.edu/docview/205929533