Do you think pedophilia is a psychiatric disorder?

I'm sure this is going to be one of the most heated threads to ever see the light of day, so just try to stay calm please. I was reading that recent thread about the guy with a low IQ having the court intervene with his sex life, and people were saying he can't really consent to the act of sex, just like a child can't consent because they are mentally incapable of making the right decision. Some quick research revealed a previously unknown fact to me, pedophiles are also considered to be mentally unhealthy, pedophilia is considered to be a psychiatric disorder.

My question is, would you agree with that statement and why? Some further research revealed to me that scientists are on the search for a pedophilia cure (often the same articles are fused with information about homosexuals and attempts to cure them). And what about Hebephilia (sexual preference for 11–14 year old pubescents)? Apparently no one can decide whether they really are actually mentally ill or not. Perhaps it's because young pop-stars aged around 14 years old, dressed in extremely skimpy outfits generate the largest number of viewers?

Children are "maturing" at ever increasing rates. I remember back at school there was a girl who looked around 17 but was actually 13. At what age is a person no longer a child? Do they need to be of a certain appearance? Do they require a certain IQ before they'll ever be considered a real adult? What if they're 50 but have the IQ of a 12 year old? Where is the line drawn? When does sex go from a pleasure to a perversion and/or the result of a mental disorder, and for what exact reasons? Do we really have the right to tell someone they can't have sex because of their IQ, or their age, or their appearance?

NOTE: The title of this thread refines the scope of this discussion to a certain area, and doesn't get my full question across. I'm asking much more than the one question in the title, please read my first few posts to get a better idea of the discussion.

Yes, yes we do. A child doesn't have the cognitive capability of giving proper consent. Neither does a person with an extraordinarily low I.Q. Yes, the lines are a bit blurry at times, but they are quite clear in many cases.

That said, yes I do believe that pedophilia is a psychiatric illness. Children have no secondary sexual characteristics, and they give off no sexual pheromones. There is nothing sexual about them in a strictly biological attraction sense, so sexual arousal by them has no discernible trigger.

I found this article and it seemed to fit the profile of a pedophile quite well. I'm speaking from experience, I was married to a man that enjoys/enjoyed looking at photographs of girls 13 and under (partially clothed). He has characteristics of a Narcissistic or Anti-Social personality disorders. This article describes him and other pedophiles to a "t". In my humble opinion, I believe it is a manifestation of a Psychiatric disorder.

samvak.tripod.com...

Pedophilia is as just as much a psychiatric illness as homosexuality. People are BORN WITH sexual preferences that NEVER CHANGE. No, I would NEVER condone anyone to abuse, take advantage of, or anything of the sort regarding a child. I am merely stating the relationship of both things.

People do NOT choose what they are attracted to when they are born. Gay's have been arguing this for decades. How can that be true for one group of people yet not another?

I'm not sure why, and I doubt I ever will know. But one thing is certain is that people are born with a sexual preference, weather it be men, women, children, adolescents, animals, blow up dolls, and so on.

Hopefully people do not misjudge the point of this topic. I am stating that sexual preference is something that people cannot change. The object of desire can be different, but on a basic level, it is the same.

Edit: I wanted to add again, because for some reason people always speak before thinking, that I do NOT condone ANY child abuse. I am just stating that people cannot change what they are attracted to. For some reason people think a post like this supports pedophiles interacting with children in objectionably ways. That is not the case. It is a psychological issue, just as much as any male who prefers females, or men who prefer men.

reply to post by WhizPhiz


Yes, and I know just how to cure it.

reply to post by gnosticquasar

Yes, yes we do. A child doesn't have the cognitive capability of giving proper consent. Neither does a person with an extraordinarily low I.Q.

So is it age or intelligence that matters? What about children with extremely high IQ's?
So people can have sex with really smart kids? No you say? So it's appearance that matters then?

That said, yes I do believe that pedophilia is a psychiatric illness. Children have no secondary sexual characteristics, and they give off no sexual pheromones. There is nothing sexual about them in a strictly biological attraction sense, so sexual arousal by them has no discernible trigger.

I agree to a certain degree with you on that. Pedophilia definitely is harder to understand, I think it has more to do with the purity and innocent of the children than their appearance. But what about Hebephilia, I've seen plenty of 11-14 year old girls with strong "sexual characteristics". So according to your views a smart 14 year old with large breasts would qualify? I kid, I kid...sort of.

reply to post by deadline527

People are BORN WITH sexual preferences that NEVER CHANGE.

OMG, all those little pedophile children hunting down other children and sexually abusing them! The horror!

reply to post by Screwed

Yes, and I know just how to cure it.

Yes, I'm sure you do Mr. Screwed.
I assume you're alluding to murder right?
Yeah, murder isn't that bad.

Ugh. Such an ugly reality that this even has to be discussed. It is a heated subject because most people can not even comprehend what makes people consider doing this to an innocent child. Most of us are inherently good so can not concieve the pure evil that this is. We see children and "protect" comes to mind.

I am aware that this is classified as a psychiatric disorder. However, I am inclined to believe there is no disorder. It is simply evil. Istrongly believe that there are truly evil people in our society. No matter your religious beliefs, most all of us understand the essence of pure evil/hatred.

I believe most people who molest children are not doing it because they are attracted to them per se. I believe they are aroused by....

Putting extreme fear into a weaker victim.
Hurting another being who can not fight back.
Being able to perform acts that other people may find repulsive.
Controlling another person completely.
Harming for life someone who matters more than the world to their partner/SO etc.
Being able to violently take/rape (as in roleplay).

All of these are repulsive and unadulterated evil IMO. They continuously try to rehabilitate these people, and they continuously fail. I believe this is because it is just evil. Pedophilia is as old as time itself. We have medications and treatments for every other psychiatric disorder, yet there is no known drug for this. I assume that if it were just a mind "sickness" we would be able to treat/prevent it better than we currently are.

I guess one could call evil and psychiatric all symantics. I feel there is a difference. We are so disgusted, enraged, and scared of these things that we pray it is a mental illness. That makes it little less scary I suppose. We as a society have a hard time admitting that some people are just born evil. We think if it is a mental illness then we can fix it, truth is some people just can't be fixed.

Just my 2 cents.

reply to post by Kangaruex4Ewe

I am aware that this is classified as a psychiatric disorder. However, I am inclined to believe there is no disorder. It is simply evil.

I completely agree on every level that sexual abuse of a child is just plain evil, but what I'm really trying to discuss here is the other side of this topic - when there is no "abuse" per se, the child might have even begged to try it out, and the adult gave in. Whatever the case, what's important is that all parties are in "consent" as much as they can be. The title of this thread is kind of sucky because it refines the scope of this discussion to a certain area, and doesn't get my full question across. Read through my last post to see what I'm trying to get at.

I think we also need to take into account the fact that a large number of pedophiles were themselves victimized as children or had some sort of sexual activity at an early age.

Since childhood experiences apparently play a predominant factor in these cases, I don't think we can blame pedophilia entirely on genes, predisposed attraction, or inherent evil.

They want to have sex with kids so I would say.............yes..........they are mentally Ill. Since there is no cure they should be locked away forever as a danger to children

Any pervert who touches a child needs to be locked up. I don't care what the reason is. Yes, I think it is a mental problem, but still.....if one touches any child I know, I will spare the state the cost of therapy because they would be eliminated FAST!

reply to post by Epiphron


Many have been abused as children and DO NOT go on to do this. I think that it is more about domination, and they get their jollies knowing that they are corrupting something innocent....THAT is what attracts them, I think....the child's innocence......and THAT is why I hate them....just perverts in my book!

reply to post by WhizPhiz


Yes it is and it is one for which there is no cure, hence pedophiles should be locked up for the duration of their lives.

Children can not concent. Retarded people can not concent. People who are in comas can not concent. Anyone who preys on these people has a disorder.

Wanting to have sex with a child is no different than wanting to have sex with your neigbor's Bull Terrier.

anyone that commits pedophilia need to be put down on the spot.

there is no room for error. how many victims are they allowed?

I am happy to trade my eternal soul to take each of their lives since most people are tree huggers.

give me a robe and a sickle and put me in coach.

Pedophilia is a sexual orientation with 1 cure:

castration


"and that's all i have to say about that"
- Forrest Gump

Magnum

Yes, and I know just how to cure it.

Yes, I'm sure you do Mr. Screwed.
I assume you're alluding to murder right?
Yeah, murder isn't that bad.

Reply to post by dolphinfan

The problem is the law.

The law sees pedo as anything under 18 (USA), when that is not the case.

Pedo = pre-teen
Hebe = early to mid teens
Ephebo = mid to late teens

But they are all listed as being pre-teen. Why is that?

As for age of consent, I do not agree with the hard line age. Some people are ready for and want sex early, and some later. Must because one is a certain age does not mean that they can't consent.

The biological clock starts ticking sometime in puberty, for both males and females, yet people are punished for doing something the body is able, and the mind is willing to do.


NOTE: I am not a pervert. I am just stating what I think are illogical laws. The ones that get me the most are 18-21year olds being labeled as sexual predators because they had sex with their high school sweetheart. No sense whatsoever.



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reply to post by WhizPhiz


So if the child is "asking for it" there is "no abuse per se"? NO ABUSE? The adult gave in? A rapist sees a woman in a club wearing a short skirt and assumes that she is "asking for it"?

please......................yak055h

Originally posted by Lemon.Fresh

The biological clock starts ticking sometime in puberty, for both males and females, yet people are punished for doing something the body is able, and the mind is willing to do.

Surely you are not suggesting that it is ok to sleep with a minor as long as they have reached puberty.... I reached puberty early... By the time I was 9 I needed to shave regularly.... So according to your logic I would be able to consent to sex with an adult at the age of 9...

Hardly... Just because you have reached puberty does NOT mean you are ready to consent. I was 9... I didn't know a damn thing about sex other than the very basics, at that age. I knew nothing of risks involved, and I will tell you right now, I did not have the mental capacity to consent....

Puberty does not mean you are ready for sex.... From a biological standpoint it means you can now either get pregnant or get some one pregnant... But being capable of it, does not mean you are ready.... Not by any means...

People who want to have sex with a child has something wrong in their head. I don't know what it is they see in a child that turns them on and quite frankly, I don't really want to know.

Your logic, is just horrible... It implies that it is acceptable to have sex with a child just because they may or may not have reached puberty....

Now I will give you one thing... There are some cases in which the courts should be more careful about labeling a person a sex offender. Think about it. If you just turned 18 today. Your girlfriend turns 18 tomorrow and you have sex with her... You could get in trouble for that and be marked a sex offender for the rest of your life...

But really we are talking about more extreme cases. Sexual abuse of children. Adults raping little kids.... That is wrong... Simple as that.

Reply to post by gimme_some_truth

A child does not mean a teen. Please stop the kmee-jerk stuff.

You actually proved my point. You hit puberty early and were not ready for sex. But what of the 15 year old who feels he is ready for sex? What of the 17 year old who feels that she KS ready for sex.

And yes, according to nature, the body is ready for sex. It is society that makes the mind not ready.

I am not saying it is a bad thing, nor am I saying it is a good thing. I am just stating facts.


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