Why in DSM-5-TR does a person have to be 16 years old to be diagnosed with Pedophilic Disorder, but a person has to be 18 years old to be diagnosed with Antisocial Personality Disorder?
My argument is that we should change diagnostic criteria for Antisocial Personality Disorder so a person has to be diagnosed with Antisocial Personality Disorder at the age of 16, if they have had Conduct Disorder for five years and keep persisting.
Another argument is that a person should be 18 years old to be diagnosed with Pedophilic Disorder if the person’s sexual fantasies are behaviors involves a chid five years younger to match legal adulthood.
Another argument is that a person has to be 18 years old to be diagnosed with Antisocial Personality Disorder if they had Conduct Disorder for five years and keeps persisting.
I think it has to do with the variables which underly Antisocial Personality Disorder vs. a sexual interest/orientation.
Granted, sexuality is a matter of personal discovery, but typically one’s own interests are already known well into adolescence. This isn’t the case across the board, mind you, but for most people, and for most of their sexuality, it is the case. The same can also be said about the specific diagnostic criteria relevant to a paraphilic disorder (stress, urges, etc.).
I think the variables that underly Antisocial Personality Disorder and its criteria are too chaotic, and considering how similar they are to stressors and other factors that are more closely related to the process of ‘growing up’ (emotional imbalance caused by hormonal changes, environmental and social pressures, school or work settings, etc.) are probably why the specified cut-off is 18.
it’s also important to note that the DSM-5-TR, ICD-11, etc. are not ‘bibles’. Clinicians are advised to treat them as consultation, not necessarily as something that defines a diagnosis. They’re not used to profile people based on similarities or behaviors just because it’s what the book says, because each variable that grounds each criteria needs to be analyzed and scrutinized to the best of their ability.