Is it right for psychologists to say there is no diagnosis for homosexuality for lack of a ready cure?

Question

Isn't this a problem of reverse discrimination for those seeking help? "Failure by the psychiatric profession to recognize homosexuality as an unwanted condition for some, serves to discourage members of the mental health profession from offering treatment. Most harmfully, the client himself is disheartened, since the very profession to which he turns for help tells him that it is not a problem and he must accept it.
It is extremely demoralizing for a client to persist in attempting to overcome homosexuality when the psychological profession--which would administer treatment--insists he does not have a problem." How can a low cure rate justify silencing the APA through politics and threats of lawsuits? "Historically, the cure rate in the treatment of homosexuality has been modest. In those few studies that do claim success, the percentage of clients converted to heterosexuality runs from 15-30%, .."http://www.catholicsocialscientists.org/Symposium2--Nicolosi--mss.htm

Renowned behavioral psychologist Joseph Wolpe was faced with a Catholic client who felt guilty about his homosexuality. Wolpe had to decide which behavior to extinguish--the homosexuality or the religious guilt. Rather than the homosexuality, he chose to extinguish the guilt. This case is an example of the power of the therapist and a decision made all too often by the psychological profession.*
Here's the real reason they want religious folks silenced completely and will make it illegal if they can for them to speak the truth.

nexus, the guilt isn't from a Christian family or a "sickness" except of the soul. It's your God given conscience. Silencing Christians won't necessarily silence your conscience. Be careful you don't keep searing it over with a hot iron until you can't recognize that sin is wrong and will take you farther than you want to go until you call good evil and evil good. Even serial killers will generally acknowledge that they knew better and feel a sense of shame and why it's rare to find someone who is actually judged innocent by reason of insanity. Deep down, people know better even if they kill Christians and burn Bibles and molest children, etc. Truth will never be silenced because that truth is Jesus Christ.

Oh, and for the record it's satan who whispers in their ear to destroy themselves, not Christians, not family, and not God but the enemy of their souls who goes about the earth seeking whom he may devour.

Answer 1

I dont think its right for any doctor to say someone is helpless. They should at least suggest other means, like different counselling or a church. What they mean is there is nothing they can do. Doesnt mean nothing can be done.

Wow so far I am the only one to answer. Looks like some see what they want! Clearly, the question implies someone seeking help.

David T

Answer 2

why dont you leave ppl alone??? Why dont you try to promote help to the poor, get involved with volunteering and helping instead of spreading filth?
Gay people are here to stay, they have always been here and they will always be here.
There is not way to stop that, unless if you try a genocide. But still you could not tell who is gay and who is not.
I know you think that you are doing the right thing, but not everyone shares your religion and even many of those who share it, dont have your fundamental views. You provide false and old info to support ur arguements and no, straight ppl dont have 8 partners in their life in average, they hump like rabbits too.
No one can ever turn into heterosexuality, they just lie because they are being forced either by society or personal guilt. They still have the same tendencies and thoughts. I grew up hating myself and no matter how hard I tried, I couldnt change myself, and I am happy I didnt.

Answer 3

Truth, your claim of studies that identify that a particular therapeutic process results in 15 to 30 per cent sexual orientation "conversion rate" is fiction. You made this up. You suggest "success" rates are "modest". This is a ruse to divert attention from the fact that such rates are non existent.

The link you provided has no references to peer reviewed studies that support that contention. Nor does the NARTH website. The best "study" I can find is Spitzer's, which is simply a collection of testimonials with no attempt at objective verification, and which, as Spitzer himself remarked, took an enormous amount of effort to track down despite the evident popularity of "reorientation therapy" in evangelical circles. Spitzer found 97 per cent of his testimonial subjects in such circles, and his methodology (basically a single phone call to each subject) has been extensively criticised.

Spitzer's study should have triggered an avalanche of safety and efficacy studies of "reorientation therapy". To date there are none. Zilch. Nix.

For me to recommend a therapeutic process based on testimonials but the complete absence of safety and efficacy studies would be negligent, and it would be the hallmark of a charlatan.

On the off chance that anyone reading this thread is wondering if "Truth" has at least a veneer of credibility, please read this very good analysis (referenced) by a moderate religious website.

Answer 4

Psychiatrist's won't recognize homosexuality as a condition because it is so wide-spread and so many people recognize it as "A way of life" or "Something they had no control over, because they were born like that".
Homosexuality, in the end, is an immoral choice made by those who are confused. And those having trouble ridding their lives of it have nothing more than an addiction to it, just like anyone else having an addiction to anything else.
But again, I will say, psychiatrists won't recognize it as a condition because there are just to many people who are. If there ever was more homosexuals than there were heterosexuals, some would say that being straight was a disorder.

To answer your question: Yes. Because psychiatrists deal with things not dealing with morality, and sexuality issues is something of a moral fiber than a physical one.

Answer 5

Is it right for physicians to say there is no cure for brown skin? Or left-handedness?

The disconnect here, Ms Truth, is that you're mixing biology with bigotry, or rather bigotry disguised as religion.

At one time people who suffered epileptic seizures were beaten and tortured in order to drive out the demons causing the seizures. I don't suppose your Catholic teachers are very proud of that part of your church's history. These days even the Catholic church understands that epilepsy is a medical condition. That's progress.

Some people still cling to the idea that homosexuality is a disease or a depravity. Few educated people think that way anymore. The scientific evidence against those discredited views is overwhelming. Your church is welcome to its doctrines and its agendas but it has an exceedingly poor track record in the scientific arena. Isn't it time you learned the facts of life?

My dear Ms Truth, allow me to welcome you to the 21st century.

Answer 6

Do you get all your information from "Catholic Social Science"?

No condition is considered not a condition simply because no treatment exists. There are a handful of disorders for which few or no treatment works.

Homosexuality isn't considered a disease because left alone, there is no observable harm. Homosexuals, when accepted as who they are, generally lead healthful and productive lives. Ergo, it is not a disease.

There are certain professions that you may reconsider based on your faith. If you are a devout Muslim, bar-tending or wine-making probably isn't the job for you. If you are a devout Christian and consider homosexuality wrong, you probably shouldn't be a psychiatrist. If you are a Christian Scientist, you probably shouldn't be a heard surgeon, and so on...

Answer 7

but we all know that psychology and religion are unrelated anyway. otherwise it would be god who is making murderers and paedophiles, right? well i guess in a way he is making them that way, and then punishing them for their sins. oh, of course, god creates mental diseases and then expects humans to overcome them. is homosexuality a mental disorder because it is a sin? in that logic anyone who lies has a mental disorder and should seek treatment. anyone who covets his neighbour's wife. if mental disease=sin then god has given so many psychotic people NO way out of sinning! that is not very fair, nor is it in any way just! if you claim that homosexuality is a mental disorder which can be healed by a doctor then you are saying that it is not a sin, for if it is both, then god is evil.

Answer 8

There is no cure for left-handedness. It is not classified as an illness. If you are left-handed, you might very well wish you were right-handed, but that doesn't mean there is anything you can do about it.
But you're welcome to pray all you want.

Edit: I take that back, there is something you can do if you are desperate to become right-handed. Chop off your left hand.
Similarly, if you are desperate enough to stop being attracted to the same sex, try removing your head. It is clearly not doing you any good, anyway.

Answer 9

Can a person cure you from being attracted to boys???

Homosexuality is not a sickness. The guilt from a Christian family can cause a gay person to commit suicide.

Answer 10

I think the real reason is the lack of knowledge. I am also studying myself: am I another person if I live out homosexuality? Maybe. And it is a fact that we do not know if religion is the truth or not, that's why it is called belief.

Answer 11

I am a male to female crossdresser and have been to 4 or more Psycologists and Psychiatrists they did way more harm than good.