Pedophilia considered as a mental illness

[paintedlightpink]

I'm not a MAP myself, but I'm curious as to what you guys' opinions are on pedophilia being considered a mental illness. I believe it's classified as paraphilia, but I'm not exactly sure. I don't have much insight on it, since I'm not a MAP, but I'd like to know what actual MAPS think. Do you agree or disagree, and why?

[Jim Burton]

I don't believe it can be a mental illness unless it causes distress or impairment in functioning.

Maybe there should instead be a category for mental distress resulting from social stigma on a person's identity.

[Harlan]

... I'm curious as to what you guys' opinions are on pedophilia being considered a mental illness. ... I'd like to know what actual MAPS think. Do you agree or disagree, and why?

Disagree.
When people don’t understand something, they come up with explanations for it that correspond to their level of development, At first, incomprehensible things were explained by divine power or demons. Then science began to prevail over religion and all explanations shifted to the area of biological and mental pathologies.

A wealth of evidence suggests that human sexuality is highly multifaceted. However, human society is extremely susceptible to prejudice, which leads to cognitive distortions that then affect on everyday life, laws and science, which can justify these prejudices for a long time. Slavery, racism, homophobia, etc.

Minor attraction (chronophilia) - It's not a mental illness, it's just a type of preference associated with young age. Attraction does not make a person bad. Individuals from ANY group may commit terrible acts, but that does NOT make the entire group terrible.

[Joanne7315]

Agree, I do not consider myself to have a mental disorder. I am a normal person, but one of my sexual attractions is to minors. I did not learn to do that, it has come naturally. Just like I find red heads attractive. Just like I am bi(maybe pan)sexual and find all sexes attractive. No I do not consider myself mentally ill or in need of help.

[ZeroXJoker]

I don't consider it a mental illness. I have to agree with Harlan about people on this. It wasn't all that long ago that being gay was considered a mental illness and now its not same with someone being transgender.

I don't see myself as mentally ill just because I also happen to be sexually attracted to minors as I am of adults.

[PorcelainLark]

I also, don't think it's a mental illness. If you were going to steelman that perspective, you could argue it's like autism or schizophrenia. The term mental illness usually suggests something which isn't hardwired, where as the evidence points to pedophilia being hardwired. However, antis don't need to defend their perspective since it's mainstream, and most MAPs are going to argue it isn't any sort of disorder at all. Aside from the claims that MAPs suffer from cognitive distortions or have delusions about children's minds, there is no obvious impairment.
An underlying problem is that there's no technical definition of "mental illness" that we can compare pedophilia to. There is a disconnect between how a normal person uses the concept (i.e. not a physical condition such as brain damage, involving psychological feature like emotional stability) and how it's used in medicine (e.g. if it impairs normal everyday functioning). I think the normal person's definition is more useful, because the medical way of defining mental illness is much too vague, but I digress.

[Fragment]

I think minor attraction is a sexual orientation like homosexuality or bisexuality. It is an atypical sexuality like they are. But if "pedophilia" is a mental illness, then I think that homosexuality is, too.

Here's what the APA says about homosexuality.

Is homosexuality a mental disorder?
No, lesbian, gay, and bisexual orientations are not disorders. Research has found no inherent association between any of these sexual orientations and psychopathology. Both heterosexual behavior and homosexual behavior are normal aspects of human sexuality. Both have been documented in many different cultures and historical eras. Despite the persistence of stereotypes that portray lesbian, gay, and bisexual people as disturbed, several decades of research and clinical experience have led all mainstream medical and mental health organizations in this country to conclude that these orientations represent normal forms of human experience. Lesbian, gay, and bisexual relationships are normal forms of human bonding. Therefore, these mainstream organizations long ago abandoned classifications of homosexuality as a mental disorder.

I can't see anything here that I don't think applies to minor attraction.

But ultimately "mental illness" is whatever society and the "experts" say it is. Right now my attraction (hebephilia) almost was considered a mental illness, but was just barely stopped from being put in the DSM. I think I'm against the entire category of "paraphilias", though. Some kinds of sexual arousal might be appropriate to treat in therapy, but if you compare a paraphilia to something like OCD or schizophrenia it has nowhere near the same level of impact on behavior and cognition.

[Kara32]

I would say it not a mental illness. As I see it as another type of sexuality on the broad spectrum, to call it a mental illness would mean all other sexualities also mental illness. It seems to me just to be another way to be derogatory to people that are from a sexuality spectrum that the majority dont like.
However I do feel that the continued hatred from others towards the MAP community and that a MAP is unlikely to be supported in being open or being able to express themselves, may cause other mental illnesses. However this is due to other factors, not being a MAP. A bit like being bullied for years or threatened. That is going to cause mental health problems.