Conversion Therapies
Q. Do you know of any research related to change therapies or conversion therapies for gays or bisexuals or other ways to treat this mental disorder?
A. Your question appears to assume that homosexuality is a mental disorder. Since the early 1970s the American Psychiatric Association has maintained that homosexuality, per se, is not a mental disorder.
In terms of change or conversion therapies, Authors Barbara and Allan Pease discuss some of these therapies in their book Why Men Don’t Listen and Women Can’t Read Maps, along with the apparent lack of success. Change therapies typically push bisexuals either to confine their sexual behaviours to opposite sex only or to be celibate. An unfortunate outcome of some of these change therapies has been attempted or actual suicide.
The American Psychological Association created a Task Force on Appropriate Therapeutic Responses to Sexual Orientation. After a review of relevant research literature, their 2009 conclusion basically was that enduring change to an individual’s sexual orientation is uncommon.
Here are some sources:
- Facts Changing
- Therapeutic Response
- Sexual Orientation
- APA Official Documents and Related Position Statements