Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2018 Feb;47(2):389-402.
doi: 10.1007/s10508-017-1031-4. Epub 2017 Aug 18.

Pedophilia-Themed Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Assessment, Differential Diagnosis, and Treatment with Exposure and Response Prevention

Affiliations

Pedophilia-Themed Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Assessment, Differential Diagnosis, and Treatment with Exposure and Response Prevention

Simone Leavell Bruce et al. Arch Sex Behav. 2018 Feb.

Abstract

Fears of sexually harming children are fairly common among clients suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), yet these symptoms are largely unrecognized and frequently misdiagnosed by mental health professionals. Specifically, clients with pedophilia-themed OCD (P-OCD) experience excessive worries and distressing intrusive thoughts about being sexually attracted to, and sexually violating, children. Expressing these concerns may provoke misjudgments from uninformed mental health professionals that a client is presenting instead with pedophilic disorder. This misdiagnosis and subsequent improper interventions can then contribute to increased fear, anxiety, and in many cases, depression, in affected clients. Therefore, it is imperative that mental health professionals first possess a good understanding of this common manifestation of OCD. As such, in this article, we described obsessions and compulsions typical of P-OCD, in order to inform the reader of the distinctive differences between P-OCD and pedophilic disorder. Information about how to assess for P-OCD symptoms is then provided, followed by suggestions on how to tailor aspects of exposure and response prevention to treat this specific form of OCD.

Keywords: DSM-5; Exposure and response prevention; Obsessive–compulsive disorder; Pedophilia.

PubMed Disclaimer

LinkOut - more resources