Clinical Challenges in Pedophilia-Themed Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Carla Ferreira; Liliana Ferreira; Samuel Pombo; Rui Xavier Vieira

doi:10.20344/amp.13296

Clinical Challenges in Pedophilia-Themed Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Authors

Carla Ferreira Serviço de Psiquiatria e Saúde Mental. Centro Hospitalar Universitário Lisboa Norte. Lisboa. Departamento de Psiquiatria. Faculdade de Medicina. Universidade de Lisboa. Lisboa.
Liliana Ferreira Serviço de Psiquiatria e Saúde Mental. Hospital Distrital de Santarém. Santarém.
Samuel Pombo Serviço de Psiquiatria e Saúde Mental. Centro Hospitalar Universitário Lisboa Norte. Lisboa. Departamento de Psiquiatria. Faculdade de Medicina. Universidade de Lisboa. Lisboa.
Rui Xavier Vieira Serviço de Psiquiatria e Saúde Mental. Centro Hospitalar Universitário Lisboa Norte. Lisboa. Departamento de Psiquiatria. Faculdade de Medicina. Universidade de Lisboa. Lisboa.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.20344/amp.13296

Keywords:

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder/diagnosis, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder/therapy, Pedophilia, Social Stigma

Abstract

In obsessive-compulsive disorder, pedophilia-themed obsessions-distressing intrusive thoughts about being sexually attracted to, or sexually abusing, children-are the most distressing for patients and the most misdiagnosed among healthcare professionals. Our aim is to present a case report highlighting the role stigma plays in delaying treatment, the clinical challenges in the diagnosis, and in the treatment of pedophilia-themed obsessive-compulsive disorder, in order to address the lack of literature on the subject. The case concerns a 33-year-old man with suicidal thoughts associated with the unbearable suffering caused by pedophilia-themed obsessions he had been having over the previous decade, without ever asking for help. This situation was highly disabling, leaving him mostly isolated in his bedroom. After the differential diagnosis was made, a treatment plan combining pharmacological and cognitive-behavioural therapy was implemented. After 18 months he showed a degree of remission that made it possible for him to apply for a job.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

Carla Ferreira, Serviço de Psiquiatria e Saúde Mental. Centro Hospitalar Universitário Lisboa Norte. Lisboa. Departamento de Psiquiatria. Faculdade de Medicina. Universidade de Lisboa. Lisboa.

Médica Interna de Psiquiatria

Liliana Ferreira, Serviço de Psiquiatria e Saúde Mental. Hospital Distrital de Santarém. Santarém.

Médica Interna de Psiquiatria

Samuel Pombo, Serviço de Psiquiatria e Saúde Mental. Centro Hospitalar Universitário Lisboa Norte. Lisboa. Departamento de Psiquiatria. Faculdade de Medicina. Universidade de Lisboa. Lisboa.

Psicólogo Clínico

Rui Xavier Vieira, Serviço de Psiquiatria e Saúde Mental. Centro Hospitalar Universitário Lisboa Norte. Lisboa. Departamento de Psiquiatria. Faculdade de Medicina. Universidade de Lisboa. Lisboa.

Assistente Graduado Sénior

Downloads

Published

2021-10-01

How to Cite

Ferreira C, Ferreira L, Pombo S, Vieira RX. Clinical Challenges in Pedophilia-Themed Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Acta Med Port [Internet]. 2021 Oct. 1 [cited 2024 Apr. 20];34(10):692-5. Available from: https://www.actamedicaportuguesa.com/revista/index.php/amp/article/view/13296

Download Citation

Issue

Vol. 34 No. 10 (2021): Outubro

Section

Case Report

License

All the articles published in the AMP are open access and comply with the requirements of funding agencies or academic institutions. The AMP is governed by the terms of the Creative Commons ‘Attribution – Non-Commercial Use - (CC-BY-NC)’ license, regarding the use by third parties.

It is the author’s responsibility to obtain approval for the reproduction of figures, tables, etc. from other publications.

Upon acceptance of an article for publication, the authors will be asked to complete the ICMJE “Copyright Liability and Copyright Sharing Statement “(http://www.actamedicaportuguesa.com/info/AMP-NormasPublicacao.pdf) and the “Declaration of Potential Conflicts of Interest” (http:// www.icmje.org/conflicts-of-interest). An e-mail will be sent to the corresponding author to acknowledge receipt of the manuscript.

After publication, the authors are authorised to make their articles available in repositories of their institutions of origin, as long as they always mention where they were published and according to the Creative Commons license.