This document discusses pedophilia and the treatment of pedophiles. It defines pedophilia as a psychosexual illness involving sexual attraction to prepubescent children. It notes that not all pedophiles molest children and that pedophilia affects both men and women. The causes of pedophilia may involve biological factors like hormones or neurological conditions as well as environmental factors like childhood abuse. Treatment options discussed include pharmaceuticals to lower sex drives, psychotherapy to prevent reoffending and developing empathy, and in rare cases surgical castration. However, complete cures are difficult and treatment aims to manage urges and protect children.

1. Pedophilia “ love of children” By: Shayna Levenson

2. Textbook Definition Pedophilia is a psychosexual illness and paraphilia that is associated with the thought or act of having sexual relations with children who usually have not yet reached puberty as an adult

3. What is a pedophile? common misconceptions common misconceptions NOT ALL PEDOPHILES ARE CHILD MOLESTERS-> a pedophile can simply have desires for children they do not act on, while child molesters have committed a crime against the law by engaging in sexual activities with children NOT ALL PEDOPHILES ARE MEN-> society is less likely to chastise women for being technical pedophiles because it is seen as more consentual or a right of passage for the abused male PEDOPHILES ARE NOT GENERALLY VIOLENT-> few brutally rape or kill their victims but rather lure them in

4. Severity of Acts There is a wide range of acts a pedophile can commit ranging in the harm caused to the child For example, it can be as innocent as petting the child’s hair Then there is masturbating while holding the child or encouraging the child to touch his own genitals The more extreme end of the spectrum is anal, oral, or vaginal penetration

5. What causes the nature of a pedophile? (nature) of a pedophile? (nature) The most popular theory involves males having an excess of the testosterone hormone causing odd sexual behaviors Pedophilia is often linked with impulse control disorders such as OCD, and it is general knowledge that low serotonin levels cause such diseases-> a pattern of low serotonin is found in pedophiles

6. What causes the nature of a pedophile? (nurture) of a pedophile? (nurture) Environment plays a key role pertaining to why an individual may be more likely to become a pedophile A popular theory is the “victim to abuser” cycle-> in this case the pedophile is often abused or assaulted as a child and then as an effort to gain back control and a new identity, becomes the abuser

7. Pedophiles in society Hard to measure pedophiles in society because the only known ones are those criminally convicted Often pedophiles are known to have personality disorders Among the most common are narcissism, sociopathic, and anti-social personality disorders Studies have shown pedophiles have a predominantly lower intelligence level and are largely left-handed

8. Pharmacological Treatment Main goal of the pharmaceuticals are to suppress levels of testosterone, therefore, lowering urges and desires towards children Drawback is the drugs are very expensive ranging from $5,000 to $20,000 dollars a year Also take three to ten months to actually kick in

9. Psychotherapy Both group and individual therapy is employed Main goal is to prevent further child molestations in the future than to “cure” the person of their pedophilia-> decrease urges

10. Steps to Therapy Step 1: have patient realize his distortions and denial regarding the children-> have them stop making excuses for what happened Step 2: empathy training Step 3: training to control any sexual urges or impulses Step 4: training to prevent any relapses

11. Castration In extreme cases, some pedophiles will opt for castration-> surgical removal of the testicles so no sperm can be created The problem is the pedophile can take hormones and molest a child again so it doesn’t correctly stop the urges

12. Overview of Treatment A pedophile has to want to control his urges in order for any type of therapy to work The importance is not to change the ways of the pedophile but protect any future children from being molested Most affective way to treat pedophile is to combine pharmacological drugs with psychotherapy

13. Video http://www.bizarro.us/sick/pedophile_gives_interview.html