In response to erroneous reports on the Internet, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) plans to correct the classification of pedophilia in its digital manual on mental disorders.
The APA’s statement was in response to media inquiries, including from The Washington Times, about erroneous reports on the Internet that the APA had classified pedophilia as a sexual orientation in its new Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, known as DSM-5 or DSM-V.
The Washington Times quoted a blog called NeonTommy as the original source of a rumor that the APA had drawn a “very distinct line” between pedophilia and pedophilic disorder in its new manual.
According to the DSM-5, pedophilia “refers to a sexual orientation or profession of sexual preference devoid of consummation, whereas pedophilic disorder is defined as a compulsion and is used in reference to individuals who act on their sexuality,” NeonTommy wrote.
The blog post caused an uproar among children’s rights advocates and concerned parents who saw the APA’s move as another assault on family values in America.
In its statement, the APA said the term ‘sexual orientation’ is not a term used in the digital diagnostic criteria for pedophilic disorder and that the pedophilia classification should read “sexual interest.”
“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,” the organization said. The error appeared on page 698, said a spokeswoman.
The DSM-5 manual was released in May.
In 1973 the APA removed the homosexual diagnosis from its manual of mental disorders. Homosexuality was reclassified from a mental disorder to a sexual orientation. In recent years, militant gay groups have joined forces with influential gays in the media to promote homosexuality as a healthy, normal lifestyle to children.
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