Paedophilia

**Paedophilia** is a mental disorder whan a bodie saxteen years o age or aulder is primar or exclusively sexually attractit tae bairns that hivna stairtit puberty (for ordinar unner 12 yeir auld).

## Terminologie
A bodie wi paedophilia is cried a paedophile. The child maun be least five yeir yunger than the bodie in the case o adolescent paedophiles afore the attraction can be cried paedophilia. Adults whase primar sexual attraction is fur aerlie adolescents are properly cried hebephiles, na paedophiles. Adults whase primar sexual attraction is fur mid-tae-late teens are properly cried ephebophiles, but ephebophilia is considerit normal bi mental health professionals. The apposit o paedophilia is *teleiophilia* (attraction tae adults)

## Condition
Medically, thir condeetion is classifyed bi the American Psychiatric Association as a mental disorder. Some paedophiles hae sex wi bairns or yaise bairns in a sexual wye.  Thir is cried *sexual maltreatment o childer* acause bi law, bairns arena aible tae gree tae sexual acts wi an adult.  Antrin adults hae paedophilic feelings but dinna act bi sexually maltreatin bairns, an some adults that arena paedophiles medical-like commeet sexual maltreatment again bairns.

Aw paedophiles dinna feel or act in an alike wye.  Syne the 1880s, psychologists hae studiit an shown that different paedophiles might act in different ways:
* Some paedophiles are ainlie sexually attractit tae pre-pubescent bairns.  Thay are cried *exclusive paedophiles.*
* Some paedophiles hae a sexual preference fur pre-pubescent bairns but are sexually attractit tae adults an aw.  Thay are cried *preferential paedophiles.*
* Some adults that prefer adult sexual pairtner are forby sexually attractit tae pre-pubescent bairns.

## Studies

### General
Fur paedophiles that commit sexual maltreatment o childer, some studies hae shawn that paedophiles that are ainlie attractit tae bairns can maltreat mair bairns than paedophiles that forby hae adult sexual partners.

The fowk that maltreat bairns are aft kent tae them—sic as paurents, ither relatives, an freends—an arena strangers. Yin research study foond that hauf the adults convictit o sexual maltreatment o bairns ootwith their familie war forby sexually maltreatin their awn bairns.

### Is it common?
Medical researchers dinna ken hou many fowk in the population are paedophiles. Thir is acause it is hard tae study fowk's feelings an desires unless thay actually shaw that thay hae thon feelins. For ordinar, the ainlie paedophiles that can be studied are thon that hae baithraken the law an bin catcht an convictit o sexually maltreatin bairns.  A saecon raison is that whan an adult or teenager sexually maltreats a bairn, fowk aft call the abuser a *paedophile*, but it is possible that the maltreatment happenit fur a sindèrie raison, sic as the unavailabeelity o an adult *i*partner.  Experts for ordinar define a bodie as a paedophile ainlie gin thay are primarily or ainlie sexually attractit tae pre-pubescent childer. Gin a bodie sexually abuses a pre-pubescent child tae frichten or punish thaim, fur ensample, then it mey na be true paedophile behaviour.

Some soorces, sic as the mayo clinic, report that maist sexual maltreatment o pre-pubescent bairns is committit bi paedophiles, while ither studies report that maist fowk that sexually maltreat bairns arena paedophiles. Accordin tae some studies, aroon 1% o aw adult men micht be paedophiles.

## Treatment
Maist doctors believe that paedophilia canna be cuired. The current approach tae deal wi paedophiles that hae bin convictit o sexual maltreatment is tae try tae chynge thair behaviour.  It daesna chynge thair sexual attraction. Usin thir treatment, it is believit that a few sex offenders can be hindered fae offendin agin. Medications sic as Pepo-Provera can be usit tae treat paedophilia.

## References