Question Author
Scotman - "Paedophilia is not a mental illness, but is regarded as a 'disorder of sexual preference', to quote the World Health Organisation formulation". Essentially, paedophilia is just a sexual orientation. People with this orientation have the same moral choices as anyone else i.e. to behave with decency and restraint or to force onto others their preferred type of sex.
I have suffered from depression and my uncle suffers from schizophrenia, as does my friend's daughter (following being spiked with ecstacy at the age of 14). These are mental disorders - none of us choose to have a mental disorder, but schizophrenia and other conditions like it, can be controlled and/or treated using prescription drugs and counselling etc. Can paedohphilia and violent sexual tendancies be managed in this way? It has been proven to not be the case.
Paedophiles themselves have sometimes expressed scepticism about the feasibility of 'treatment'. As one convicted paedophile commented: "There has been a considerable amount of discussion recently about rehabilitating, even curing paedophiles. I do not believe this is possible. I am a paedophile" (Atherton, 2001).
I have taken these quotes from MIND in Manchester website.
So no, Scotman, I am no psychiatrist - however, before I go spouting off at the mouth, I make sure I am well informed and know a little of what I am talking about.