Gay Conversn Therapy Associated wh Suici Risk | Psychology Today Canada

Contents:

• GAY CONVERSN THERAPY ASSOCIATED WH SUICI RISK
• WHAT IT’S LIKE TO EXPERIENCE GAY CONVERSN THERAPY
• NETFLIX’S ‘PRAY AWAY’ DOCUMENTARY WILL REMD YOU THAT GAY CONVERSN IS STILL GOG ON
• I WAS 19, GAY AND READY TO BE ‘CURED’ BY NVERSN THERAPY
• 'MOST' GAY NVERSN THERAPY ROLUTN ADVANC ASSEMBLY

GAY CONVERSN THERAPY ASSOCIATED WH SUICI RISK

The movie picts the vastatg practice of gay nversn therapy, which therapists or relig profsnals try to “cure” young people of their homosexualy. Homosexualy was scribed as a mental illns for s until was dropped om the Diagnostic & Statistil Manual of Mental Disorrs 1973. Sce then, the field has evolved s stance toward homosexualy.

A new study published this month the Journal of Homosexualy fally provis some ncrete evince, however, that sexual orientatn nversn therapy durg adolcence is associated wh poor mental health out.

Journal of homosexualy, 1-15. Beyond studi foced solely on reparative therapy, broar rearch clearly monstrat the signifint harm that societal prejudice and fay rejectn has on lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr and queer (LGBTQ) people, particularly youth. For example, rearch on the issue of fay acceptance of LGBTQ youth nducted at San Francis State Universy found that "pared wh LGBTQ young people who were not rejected or were only a ltle rejected by their parents and regivers bee of their gay or transgenr inty, highly rejected LGBTQ young people were:.

WHAT IT’S LIKE TO EXPERIENCE GAY CONVERSN THERAPY

"Homosexualy and Adolcence, Pediatrics. "[T]he associatn do not nsir homosexualy a disorr that requir treatment, and as such, we see no basis for [reparative therapy]. "Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgenr Health Dispari: Executive Summary of a Policy Posn Paper From the Amerin College of Physicians.

This rolutn specifilly not that ACA oppos portrayals of lbian, gay and bisexual dividuals as mentally ill due to their sexual orientatn.... In 1999, the Governg Council adopted a statement ‘opposg the promotn of reparative therapy as a cure for dividuals who are homosexual.

NETFLIX’S ‘PRAY AWAY’ DOCUMENTARY WILL REMD YOU THAT GAY CONVERSN IS STILL GOG ON

"Our AMA… oppos, the e of 'reparative' or 'nversn' therapy that is based upon the assumptn that homosexualy per se is a mental disorr or based upon the a prri assumptn that the patient should change his/her homosexual orientatn. 991, Health Care Needs of the Homosexual Populatn. In 1997 APA produced a fact sheet on homosexual and bisexual issu, which stat that “there is no published scientific evince supportg the efficy of “reparative therapy” as a treatment to change one’s sexual orientatn.

The potential risks of “reparative therapy” are great and clu prsn, anxiety, and self-stctive behavr, sce therapist alignment wh societal prejudic agast homosexualy may rerce self-hatred already experienced by the patient. Many patients who have unrgone “reparative therapy” relate that they were accurately told that homosexuals are lonely, unhappy dividuals who never achieve acceptance or satisfactn. The possibily that the person might achieve happs and satisfyg terpersonal relatnships as a gay man or lbian are not prented, nor are alternative approach to alg wh the effects of societal stigmatizatn discsed...

Therefore, APA oppos any psychiatric treatment, such as “reparative” or “nversn” therapy, that is based on the assumptn that homosexualy per se is a mental disorr or is based on the a prri assumptn that the patient should change his or her homosexual orientatn. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Amerin Psychologil Associatn reaffirms s posn that homosexualy per se is not a mental disorr and oppos portrayals of sexual mory youths and adults as mentally ill due to their sexual orientatn;. "Lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenred and qutng (LGBTQ) youth often beg to experience self-intifitn durg their pre-adolcent or adolcent years, as do heterosexual youth.

I WAS 19, GAY AND READY TO BE ‘CURED’ BY NVERSN THERAPY

Acrdgly, is fair to assert that lbians and gay men seek therapy for the same reasons that heterosexual people do. However, the crease media mpaigns, often upled wh ercive msag om fay and muny members, has created an environment which lbians and gay men often are prsured to seek reparative or nversn therapi, which nnot and will not change sexual orientatn. Aligned wh the Amerin Psychologil Associatn's (1997) posn, NCLGB [NASW's Natnal Commtee on Lbian and Gay Issu] believ that such treatment potentially n lead to severe emotnal damage.

'MOST' GAY NVERSN THERAPY ROLUTN ADVANC ASSEMBLY

Specifilly, transformatnal mistri are fueled by stigmatizatn of lbians and gay men, which turn produc the social climate that prsur some people to seek change sexual orientatn. Servic that purport to "cure" people wh non-heterosexual sexual orientatn lack medil jtifitn and reprent a ser threat to the health and well-beg of affected people, the Pan Amerin Health Organizatn (PAHO) said a posn statement lnched on 17 May, 2012, the Internatnal Day agast Homophobia.

“The most important fact about 'reparative therapy, ' also sometim known as 'nversn' therapy, is that is based on an unrstandg of homosexualy that has been rejected by all the major health and mental health profsns. The Amerin Amy of Pediatrics, the Amerin Counselg Associatn, the Amerin Psychiatric Associatn, the Amerin Psychologil Associatn, the Natnal Associatn of School Psychologists, and the Natnal Associatn of Social Workers, together reprentg more than 477, 000 health and mental health profsnals, have all taken the posn that homosexualy is not a mental disorr and th there is no need for a 'cure. Furthermore, so-lled treatments of homosexualy n create a settg which prejudice and discrimatn flourish, and they n be potentially harmful (Rao and Jab 2012).