Do you think people who are gay should be put in a mental institution?

Question

My parents tried to have me placed in one when I was 16, right after I told them I was gay.

Did not work ;-), but I did get a counsellor that tried to "fix" me. I am 18 now...

Answer 1

As a retired mental health professional with 20+ years experience, I have hardly ever seen any "mental institution" do anything for anybody except to incarcerate them. As far as homosexuality being something people ought to go to psychiatric hospitals for, I say no. Homosexuals are otherwise mentally healthy people, but do have what pschiatry calls a "mental disorder" as opposed to a "mental illness". A "mental disorder" is a psychopathology, or an error of choices, that one initiates at some point in their lives for some short term, self-satisfying reason, and then continues to re-make that choice without giving much rational thought to it. It then becomes a "pathology" or "disorder" in that it is identifiable by it's self-defeating behavior that is continued in spite of overwhelming reasons why it ought not to be continued. That is why psychiatry says homosexuals have a mental disorder, as opposed to a mental illness, and I wholeheartedly agree. God Bless you.

Answer 2

I am curious to know which country you live in. Where I am (United Kingdom) homosexuality stopped being considered a mental illness many decades ago. Professionals have all sorts of theories of why people are homosexual none of which has been proved. So the fact is no one actual knows why anyone turns out straight or gay or somewhere in between. It is only because the majority of people are heterosexual or claim to be that society has considered homosexual behaviour as abnormal. This is absurd. The number of people that can be considered homosexual in any population is somewhere about 5% to 10% (this excludes bisexuals) likewise there is a similar percentage of the population that is left-handed and no one would consider that you should send these people to a mental institution for being abnormal. (Please note I am not saying that there is any correlation between left-handers and homosexuals) Also with the UK population being approximately 60 million I would like to see how many institutions we would need for 3 to 6 million homosexuals!!!

There of course is the usual argument that homosexuality is different as it is biologically against Nature. Using that argument you could say the same about religious celibacy or other unnatural activities such as skydiving or working in offices.

In the end people persecute homosexuals simply because they don't like the idea being one themselves and feel threatened. Rather pathetic really.

That your parents tried to put you in a mental institution is an evil and horrendous act. They should be ashamed of themselves. Parents should love their children and be supportive in everything they do and are (well maybe not criminal activities but you get the idea) even if they personally do not like the idea themselves. Anything short of that is plainly wrong and they have failed as parents. As for the counsellor no professional would try to "fix" anyone of their homosexuality as it is conclusively known not to work. This sounds like this counsellor is one the religious nuts who is blinded by dogmatic faith who think they can change homosexuals and have no care for the resulting harm they can actually do to their patients.

The premise of the question of whether you should put homosexuals in mental institutions is clearly ridiculous. So the answer is an emphatic No.

You should be proud to be you, whatever that actually is.
I wish you luck in life.

Answer 3

Being gay is not a mental disorder, and not something which has to be changed. However, some people who are gay experience mental trauma in trying to come to terms with their sexual orientation.

Your parents should have contacted the authorities - by doing this, the authorities would only have confirmed to them that being gay is not a mental problem. Instead, they would have queried why it was a problem to your parents.

When you say "the counsellor tried to fix me", what do you mean? If the counsellor tried to change your sexual orientation, then chances are - they were unlicenced. Did they come from a religious background?

A person who enters into counselling/therapy has the right to do so in a neutral environment free of any social bias.

Answer 4

Not so long ago being gay was considered a mental illness and ppl could be sectioned for it. However, the consensus of the medical, specifically the psychiatric, world was that it was not, and therefore it was officially removed from the list of mental illness, disease and disorders in every Western country. So, no, you should not be put in a mental institution for it, and is probably why it did not work, because you cannot be cured, and anyone that says you can is lieing, because there is nothing to fix

Answer 5

No I do not think people who are gay should be placed in any form of mental institute, the thing gay men and women should be able to do is get on with their life's and stop been put down by bigots and racists, you are what you are, you should be proud that you have the guts to admit your gay, be proud of yourself for not hiding in a corner been afraid of offending anyone, you know your mom and dad seem pretty old fashioned to me and if they can't get with the flow then how blinkered their life's must be, your 18 now and have the right to be your own person, there are people in this society that are very accepting of everyone, don't run your life to please other people your parents included, be yourself and live a happy life, good luck and be proud of yourself.

Answer 6

No, I don't. But i know people who do think this is a solution. I don't think being gay is a lifestyle choice and i don't think they are bad people by any means, in fact, often they are nicer and more humane than 'normal' people due to the fact tey have had to deal with so much discrimination. Although not a choice, I sometimes do think that people who are gay can fight this, and still go with people of the oposite sex. However, not being gay myself, i don't know what you go through, so I guess it's like a non smoker saying how easy it is to quit. I'm sure you must have a difficult life, but hope you appreciate the decision and heartache your parents must have gone through, as they looked for the easiest cover up solution. I hope you've been able to fix bonds with them and that you're happy in your life, may God bless you.

Answer 7

No. This is just me, but people who think that gay's should be in mental hospitals, should really be the ones in the mental institutions.

If my parents tried to put me in a mental institution because of my bisexuality, I'd beat them upside the head. As much as I love them, I'd stand my ground and not take crap from them.

Answer 8

Think about that though. If all the gays were put in an institution, it would be like a big gay nightclub (probably). I imagine the village people x100 in backless white gowns pinching each others bums and necking all the drugs they can get their hands on.

All my gay friends would love that sort of place, Gays, drugs and backless clothes. It's just the music that would be missing, but that could be part of the therapy. Probably.

Answer 9

I think your parents may have done this to see if there was a reason of why you were claiming to be gay at such a young age. Some people who claim to be gay are suffering from some sort of abuse, or rejection, or low self esteem. Iam not saying all gay people have chosen to be gay, but there are some who choose to be gay for different reasons. And I think that may be the reason your parents wanted you to seek some therapy.

Answer 10

BEING GAY IS A CHOICE OF OUR ON WILL. NO ONE WAS CREATED GAY OR LESBIAN.
SOMEONE DID SOMETHING HARMFUL TO YOU AT SOME POINT IN YOUR LIFE, PROBABLY EARLY CHILDHOOD (YOU MAY OR MAY NOT REMEMBER). THIS HURT YOU. THE COUNSELOR COULD NOT HELP YOU BECAUSE YOU WERE TOO EMBARRASSED, HUMILIATED AND FELT GUILT ABOUT IT AND THUS COULD NOT FULLY OPEN UP AND TELL (THAT IS IF YOU WERE OLD ENOUGH TO REMEMBER).
AS FAR AS MY OPINION ON WHAT SHOULD BE DONE & WHERE THEY SHOULD BE PUT. IF THEY DO NOT SINCERELY OPEN UP AND GET HONEST HELP AND GET BACK IN THE REAL WORLD. THEN THEY NEED TO BE CASTRATED WITH THEIR HANDS CUT OFF AND PUT IN A PRISON (NOT A MENTAL INSTITUTION.) TO SUFFER OUT THE REST OF THEIR LIVES NOT BEING ABLE TO FUNCTION ANYTHING SEXUALLY. TOO MANY CHILDREN HAVE BEEN HURT ALREADY AND THIS IS A TOTAL CHOICE OF OUR OWN WILL AS TO WHAT WE TO OR DO NOT DO NO MATTER WHAT HAS BEEN DONE TO US.
FOR EXAMPLE: SOMEONE MURDERS A MOTHER'S CHILD IN COLD BLOOD. THAT MOTHER CAN EITHER LIVE AS A GOOD GODLY WOMAN, BECOME ANGRY BUT SIN NOT. WITH TIME SHE CAN FORGIVE AND THEN UNDERSTAND THAT THE PERSON WHO COMMITED THE CRIME WAS HURTING AND NEEDED REAL HELP. TOO MANY PEOPLE JUST GO ON AND TURN THIER HEADS TO THOSE WHO NEED HELP!