Pedophilia

===Development===
Pedophilia emerges before or during puberty, and is stable over time.<ref name="cutler">{{cite encyclopedia | editor-last = Cutler | editor-first = Brian L. | title = Pedophilia | encyclopedia = Encyclopedia of Psychology and Law | publisher = [[SAGE Publishing]] | location=Thousand Oaks, California | year = 2008 | isbn = 978-1-4129-5189-0 | page = 549 | volume = 2}}</ref> It is self-discovered, not chosen.<ref name="faganJAMA"/> For these reasons, pedophilia has been described as a disorder of sexual preference, phenomenologically similar to a heterosexual or homosexual orientation.<ref name="cutler"/> These observations, however, do not exclude pedophilia from being classified as a mental disorder since pedophilic acts cause harm, and mental health professionals can sometimes help pedophiles to refrain from harming children.<ref name="Berlin">{{cite journal | first = Fred S. | last = Berlin | title = Treatments to Change Sexual Orientation | url = https://archive.org/details/sim_american-journal-of-psychiatry_2000-05_157_5/page/838 | journal = [[American Journal of Psychiatry]] | publisher = [[American Psychiatric Association]] | location = Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | date = May 2000 | volume = 157 | issue = 5 | page = 838 | doi=10.1176/appi.ajp.157.5.838 | pmid = 10784491 | department = Letter to the Editor}}</ref>

In response to misinterpretations that the [[American Psychiatric Association]] considers pedophilia a sexual orientation because of wording in its printed DSM-5 manual, which distinguishes between [[paraphilia]] and what it calls "paraphilic disorder", subsequently forming a division of "pedophilia" and "pedophilic disorder", the association commented: "'[S]exual orientation' is not a term used in the diagnostic criteria for pedophilic disorder and its use in the DSM-5 text discussion is an error and should read 'sexual interest.'" They added, "In fact, APA considers pedophilic disorder a 'paraphilia,' not a 'sexual orientation.' This error will be corrected in the electronic version of DSM-5 and the next printing of the manual." They said they strongly support efforts to criminally prosecute those who sexually abuse and exploit children and adolescents, and "also support continued efforts to develop treatments for those with pedophilic disorder with the goal of preventing future acts of abuse."<ref name="Wetzstein">{{cite news | first = Cheryl | last = Wetzstein | title = APA to correct manual: Pedophilia is not a 'sexual orientation' | work = [[The Washington Times]] | date = October 31, 2013 | access-date = February 14, 2014 | url = http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/oct/31/apa-correct-manual-clarification-pedophilia-not-se/ | archive-date = March 17, 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210317020215/https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/oct/31/apa-correct-manual-clarification-pedophilia-not-se/ | url-status = live}}</ref>