Pedophilia

Pedophilia is a mental disorder and clinical diagnosis, characterized by intense, frequent sexual urges directed towards prepubescent children. The term pedophile or paedophile refers to any individual who suffers from this disorder. Despite improper colloquial usage of the term, one does not need to sexually abuse a child in order to be considered a pedophile. Furthermore, a significantly older adult who is attracted to postpubescent individuals (i.e. 13-17 year olds) would not be considered a pedophile, under the correct usage of the term. Instead, that would fall under the category of ephebophilia, which refers to the sexual attraction towards adolescents.