Hi Loom,

Thanks for sharing the difficulties you are facing right now, it takes a lot to share the struggles of life. It's worth it and I'm glad to see others have shared words of support and encouragement. Others who know the sharp pain you are feeling or those who are willing to stand with you are good sources of support and friendship in difficult times. They get us through.

I want to respond to something you wrote, even though it seems a bit crass to do after such a strong and heartfelt message. You said:

"I appreciate what you and Skye among other researchers are trying to do... The problem, in my opinion, is a failure to ask questions about the heart of these issues which might cause MAPs to feel the need to seek therapeutic advice in the first place (which, as you are aware, is pretty much useless in many cases - like mine, for example).

The point is: pedophilia is not a mental health issue. It is A SOCIAL ISSUE, along the lines of homosexuality was / is a social issue. You simply are not going to learn much of value about a systematically opressed demographic by asking the types of questions you ask. Sorry."

I agree with you that there are complicated reasons why MAPs would seek therapy, you have given us a very poignant example of why an MAP would want therapy. One of the main things I expect MAPs to seek therapy for (those who do choose to seek therapy) is about the difficulties involved in living with an attraction to minors. I see therapy in these cases as being about helping the person through the distress they are experiencing or the distress they are facing. Therapy is not about eliminating their minor-attraction, it is about relieving distress and building skills to live life meaningfully.

While we did not pose nuanced questions about reasons for seeking therapy, this is not an indication that we are unaware of the fact there will be myriad reasons for MAPs to seek therapy. Actually, I don't know if any survey, no matter how well designed can capture the intensity of an experience like the one you are going through. But hopefully, in the future, we can build upon what we learn here to develop a more nuanced understanding and share that with mental health professionals and researchers.

Ian.