Pedophilia is a terrible psychological disorder that is characterized not only by imaginary, but also by real actions of a sexual nature with children as a method of achieving arousal. Usually, this disease occurs under the influence of a number of social and psychological factors.
Pathology or social phenomenon?
Pedophilia has been and remains an eternal phenomenon, which in a biological sense means love for children with a clear sexual connotation. From the point of view of science, this disorder is one of the most common sexual abnormalities. The term covers different types of behavior: some pedophiles are interested exclusively in girls, others are interested in boys, others are attracted to teenagers, and others like very small, sometimes even infants.
In 1965, the World Health Organization classified pedophilia as sexual perversions, in 1973 the disease was called a deviation, and in 1993 a violation of sexual orientation. Psychiatrists distinguish this disorder of perverts (for whom the child is the object of sexual attraction, and fear only fuels the action prohibited by law), regressive pedophiles (who did not have sex in adulthood) and simply mentally underdeveloped people.
But still, many experts are convinced that pedophilia belongs to the field of psychiatry, so society needs to put these people in the category of mentally ill. Psychiatrists insist that all cases of pedophilia should be considered as a violation of social norms, and not as a pathology.
Is pedophilia treated?
Specialists can help pedophiles get rid of this terrible disorder with the help of medication, but provided that patients voluntarily agree to take the course. Great experience in such treatment has been accumulated in Germany. Treatment involves suppressing sexual desire by lowering testosterone levels in the blood. In some cases, it is possible to achieve a complete suppression of such an attraction, this method is called "medical castration."