title: Commentary on pedophilia diagnostic criteria in DSM-5.
abstract: Human beings differ in sexual makeup. Most adults are not sexually attracted to prepubescent children, but some are. Societal values can be of relevance in determining whether such a difference is considered to be a psychiatric condition. Were a society to believe that adult-child sexual interactions should not be prohibited, such a difference might not be viewed as a disorder. According to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR), a difference in sexual makeup can be considered a disorder when it causes interpersonal difficulty or marked distress. In contemporary society, pedophilia can do both. According to DSM-IV-TR, for a diagnosis of pedophilia, there must be both a qualitative difference in sexual makeup (i.e., sexualized urges directed toward children) and a quantitative difference (i.e., the sexualized urges must be intense). However, just as a heterosexual man with low (i.e., nonintense) sexual urges is still heterosexual, DSM-5 should similarly allow that individuals with low sexual urges in response to children qualify for a diagnosis of pedophilia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21202, USA. fredsberlinmd@comcast.net
authors.forename: Fred S
authors.initials: FS
authors.lastname: Berlin
mesh_terms: D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010378:Pedophilia / Q000175:diagnosis*