Warning: This article contains discussion of mental health conditions, child abuse and suicidal thoughts which some readers may find distressing.
A woman who has a condition that had her mistakenly believe that she was a pedophile has given her thoughts on the ‘backlash’.
At 15 years old, Molly Lambert, from Manchester, UK, began experiencing disturbing, intrusive thoughts that left her feeling fearful, guilty, and ashamed. These thoughts often proved to be violent and sexual, and eventually they became so intense that she falsely believed that she was a pedophile and a danger to those around her.
Her initial fear began after seeing ‘a little girl wearing a crop top and short skirt’ at the airport, leading her to think: “That’s weird for a child to wear that.”
The now 22-year-old continued: “And then I panicked – ‘why would I even notice that? Why would I think about that? She’s a child.”
This fear then snowballed during her exams, as she recounted: “I was 15 and I remember thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m a pedophile – I thought, I’m never going to forget this thought. My life is over’.”
However, Molly would eventually come to learn she was actually suffering from a specific kind of mental health condition known as pedophile-obsessive compulsive disorder, or P-OCD.
Molly Lambert first began experiencing these intense, disturbing thoughts when she was a teenager (SWNS)
P-OCD is a rare form of OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) where a person has an intense fear that they are or will become a pedophile; however, it has nothing to do with pedophilic disorder.
It got so bad that she was in ‘fight or flight constantly’, adding: “Every thought was dark, I wasn’t eating properly, I wasn’t sleeping, I was so scared of being alone and going to bed.”
After receiving an official diagnosis in July 2025, she began to manage her condition as a result of therapy and has expressed a desire to help others in the same situation as her.
And in a recent post following her story making the news, Molly addressed her critics and highlighted the importance of raising awareness of this condition.
‘Non-offending pedophiles are not the same thing’
In a TikTok video, she encouraged others to speak out and seek therapy if they have felt the way she has described, writing: “You will not be disowned, sent away or arrested for speaking on your thoughts.
“Every professional who is trained properly in mental illness will be well aware of what intrusive thoughts can look like. Hiding and not speaking about certain thoughts will only make the shame and fear around those grow”
Later on, she emphasized why it was important to recognize the difference between this mental health condition and actual pedophilia.
Molly has since addressed the importance of awareness surrounding P-COD and OCD (SWNS)
She continued: “Non-offending pedophiles are not the same thing. A lot of the backlash comes with people saying it’s just normalizing being a pedo and not acting on it.
“These non-offending pedophiles may choose to do the right thing and not act on it, but the desire, attraction and enjoyment of those thoughts is still there.
“People with OCD perceive danger wrongly and it is all irrational, it makes complete sense that someone with an anxious brain would be terrified of pedophiles so therefore worry they are the same as them.”
Molly went on to say that ‘your thoughts may not always look the same’, adding: “I know for me when my thoughts worsened from ‘what ifs’ to more graphic images and renumeration, it terrified me more.”
She said ‘viewing thoughts for what they are will set you free’ and that while the thoughts can be ‘difficult regardless’, she doesn’t want anyone to ‘ever feel like they are alone in it again’.
What are the symptoms of P-OCD?
As per Shepard Pratt, the symptoms of P-COD include:
Intrusive, unwanted sexual thoughts about childrenFear that positive emotions towards children are somehow sexualFear that incidental contact with children is sexualFear that noticing cuteness in a child could be perceived as sexual
After starting a new job at a swimming pool cafe, Molly said she would think about kids being there and ‘honestly thought to myself that I would have to kill myself on my way home’, adding: “That’s how convinced I was that I was dangerous.”
What is the difference between P-COD and pedophilic disorder?
Clinical psychologist Federico Ferrarese states that the DSM-5 defines pedophilic disorder as being ‘recurrent, intense sexually arousing fantasies, urges, or behaviours involving sexual activity with prepubescent children’ that have lasted six months.
P-COD, however, is categorised by intrusive thoughts, which Harvard Publishing Health describes as being ‘unwanted thoughts or mental images that make people uncomfortable’.
The International OCD Foundation also adds that someone with P-COD is ‘no more likely to be a pedophile than an individual who does not have P-OCD’.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available through Mental Health America. Call or text 988 to reach a 24-hour crisis center or you can webchat at 988lifeline.org. You can also reach the Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741.