Diagnosis;

The APA's tripartite criterion is repeated. But immediately the author proceeds to discuss the uses of data found in a criminal investigation to aid in diagnosis. The constant refusal to make the distinctions that LEAs and Psychologists must taints all conclusions drawn through such flawed definitions.

He claims a high co-morbidity rate between all the paraphilias. Nowhere in all my studies have I seen a link suggested between pedophilia and necrophilia, bestiality, clothing fetishism or most of the other paraphilias. In anecdotal evidence I see a higher correlation between all of the latter and heterosexuality than to pedophilia; but the relationship appears purely coincidental.

The author also claims a link to anxiety, depression, mood disorders and substance abuse. I believe that the link between situational offense within the non-pedophile population and other problems; emotional, behavioural or substance-abuse related is quite strong. Particularly the link between alcohol abuse and the reduction in boundary awareness and self-control. But by assuming that pedophilia is an act, not an attraction, this does little to address its prevalence as an attraction within the general population.

Furthermore, as we have recently seen with "Pedophile OCD," various psychological disorders can falsify orientation awareness and lead to a misdiagnosis. The APA recognizes that sexual orientation is not a factor in any mental illness which may arise within the population of a particular orientation.

Treatments;

Despite what the author lists here, there are no "treatments" to change sexual orientation recognized by any legitimate authority; hence the abject failure of all suggested methods.

Much of what the author lists would never be used to "treat" pedophilia, but only to try to control the libido levels of convicted sex offenders. No one believes that a heterosexual rapist who is chemically castrated has ceased to be a heterosexual; only that their chemistry of attraction has been interrupted. Similarly, the barbarous use of surgical castration only alters genital anatomy, not orientation.

Orientation appears to reside in the brain and be influenced by the endocrine system. Interference in chemical communication or the mutilation of the body may decrease the signals of attraction or inhibit physical response to attraction, but they don't redirect sexual attraction.

Prognosis;

The phrase "persons who practise pedophilia" says it all about ignoring the psychological in favor of discussing the criminal. At least the author is consistent in his attempts to conflate disparate definitions.

Prevention;

Children should never be allowed to in one-on-one situations with any adult other than their parents or trustworthy family members.

This, despite the evidence that most occurrences of abuse stem from a child being left along with just such people. By increasing the paranoia about strangers and decreasing a child's opportunities for a caring non-familial adult in their lives; the author proposes cutting the child off from anyone who might diagnose, intervene or report the most common sources of child abuse, neglect and murder. Additionally, cutting the child off from support and healthy interaction is a formula for producing the sort of stunted unhealthy individuals who become abusers, rapists and vigilantes.

Dante