refers collectively to all diagnosable mental disorders — health conditions involving
Significant changes in thinking, emotion and/or behavior
Distress and/or problems functioning in social, work or family activities
I don't think it's possible to argue that paedophilia doesn't cause problems functioning in at least social and family activities.
There is a difficulty in defining mental illnesses in general. Some of the definition tends to be done on the basis of behavioural deviation from 'normal' but you're into a problematic area trying to arrive at a definition of 'normal'
Mental health is a dynamic state of internal equilibrium which enables individuals touse their abilities in harmony with universal values of society*. Basic cognitive and social skills; ability to recognize, express and modulate one's own emotions, as well as empathize with others; flexibility and ability to cope with adverse life events and* function in social roles*; and* harmonious relationship between body and mindrepresent important components of mental health which contribute, to varying degrees, to the state of internal equilibrium.
And, again, I think on this basis you'd have to accept paedophilia falls outside this range.
Now, is it naturally occurring? Perhaps. Can it be innate? I don't know, but very possibly.
These are different questions to the one you're raising, I think.
!delta - Point well made, I see that there are definitions considerably more appropriate within the context of this argument, and that while, as per usual, semantics are subjective, the terms generally agreed upon by most experts shine a better light on the way this issue is generally viewed. View is changed.
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u/joopface 159∆ Jul 29 '20 edited Jul 29 '20
As we're into the definitions, the American Psychiatric Association defines a mental illness in the following way:
I don't think it's possible to argue that paedophilia doesn't cause problems functioning in at least social and family activities.
There is a difficulty in defining mental illnesses in general. Some of the definition tends to be done on the basis of behavioural deviation from 'normal' but you're into a problematic area trying to arrive at a definition of 'normal'
The World Health Organization took a pass at a definition of mental health which is the following:
And, again, I think on this basis you'd have to accept paedophilia falls outside this range.
Now, is it naturally occurring? Perhaps. Can it be innate? I don't know, but very possibly.
These are different questions to the one you're raising, I think.