Mental illness is not an excuse for pedophilia or any sexual abuse of children. While some mental health conditions can influence behavior or impulse control, society, law, and ethics clearly hold that sexual abuse of minors is always criminal and morally wrong, regardless of any psychiatric diagnosis.
From a neuroscience and psychology perspective:
- Pedophilic disorder is recognized in clinical manuals (like the DSM-5), but a diagnosis does not justify acting on urges. Treatment exists to help individuals manage impulses, but acting on those impulses is still abuse.
- Impulse control disorders or other psychiatric conditions may co-occur, but they do not remove accountability. The law expects people to seek help rather than harm others.
- Consent and harm are central: children cannot legally or developmentally consent, so any sexual act with a minor is inherently exploitative.
This distinction is crucial in therapy, criminal justice, and public discourse: understanding mental illness helps prevent abuse, but it never excuses it.
