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Trigger Warnings: mentions of suicide, depression, PTSD; references to abuse
During the period of the Pride month, a lot of topics were discussed with regards to protesting for LGBTQIA+ rights and bills being passed to give these rights. I feel that one topic slipped through the cracks of the discussions, a dark topic nonetheless, but important.
Conversion therapy, sometimes known as "reparative therapy," is a collection of risky and debunked techniques that incorrectly claim to change a person's sexual orientation, gender identity, or expression. Despite the fact that conversion therapy has been condemned by every professional medical and mental health organisation for decades, some practitioners continue to practise it due to ongoing discrimination and societal hostility towards LGBTQIA+ individuals. Conversion therapy has been linked to sadness, anxiety, drug usage, homelessness, and suicide among minors.
Some right-wing religious organisations promote the idea that a person can alter their sexual orientation or gender identity through prayer or other religious endeavours, as well as "reparative" or "conversion" therapy. The efficacy of such attempts has been disproven, and they have also been shown to be harmful, according to studies. Beyond studies focused on reparative therapy, broader research shows that societal discrimination and familial rejection have a major negative impact on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQIA+) people, especially young ones. Furthermore, there is a lot of anecdotal evidence that attempting to modify one's sexual orientation or gender identity causes harm to LGBTQIA+ persons. Every major medical and mental health group in the United States has published a statement denouncing the use of conversion therapy based on this body of evidence.
In 2007, an American Psychological Association task committee conducted a comprehensive evaluation of the existing literature on the efficacy of conversion treatment. Their report stated that there was little methodologically sound research on sexual orientation change efforts (SOCEs), and that "results of scientifically valid research indicate that individuals will be unlikely to be able to reduce same-sex attractions or increase other-sex sexual attractions through SOCE." Furthermore, the task force discovered that "there are no methodologically sound investigations of recent SOCE that would enable the task force to make a clear conclusion on whether or not recent SOCE is safe or hazardous, and for whom," according to the task force.
On the other hand, there is abundant evidence that societal prejudice causes LGBTQIA+ persons severe medical, psychological, and other damage. According to San Francisco State University research, "Compared to young members of the LGBTQIA+ community who were not rejected or were only a little rejected by their parents and caregivers because of their gay or transgender identity, highly rejected young members of the LGBTQIA+ community were: 8 times more likely to have attempted suicide, 6 times as likely to go through depression, and 3 times more likely to use drugs.
In recent times, India is moving in the right direction in terms of rights for the members of the LGBTQIA+ community. The Supreme Court of India ruled on September 6, 2018, that consenting homosexual actions are no longer illegal. Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, a vestige of British colonial rule, was repealed in this historic event. In the past month, the Tamil Nadu high court deemed it illegal to attempt to medically ‘cure’ people who are part of the LGBTQIA+ community. Even though these legal enforcements still lack a lot, they are a step in the right direction. But, these laws don’t restrict people from harassing LGBTQIA+ members and they do not change the social norms, thinking, and judgement which have been stacked against the members of the LGBTQIA+ community for decades. The way people treat members of the LGBTQIA+ members have severe effects on the mental health of the people being abused and harassed.
No research has revealed an underlying link between any of these sexual orientations and psychopathology, according to the American Psychology Association (APA). Homosexuality and heterosexuality are both natural characteristics of human sexuality. Both have been documented in a variety of cultures and time periods.
Mental health is also another topic that has been given an increasing importance in this century. There is still a long way for mental health awareness to go, especially in India. Mental illnesses such as depression are heavily looked down upon by society rather than treating them like normal illnesses. Because of their sexual orientation, the LGBTQIA+ community has endured a lot of prejudice, discrimination, and violence over the years. Discrimination and prejudice have both social and personal consequences. On a social level, preconceptions and social stigmas can have an impact on psychological health, even if there is no evidence to support them.
A recent study regarding the LGBTQIA+ community shows us that 61% of the members have gone through depression, 45% have PTSD and 36% have some form of anxiety disorders. There is no one-size-fits-all explanation for why these differences arise. However, shame and trauma play a role. Many LGBTQIA+ community members experience difficulties in receiving adequate mental health care. According to a Rainbow Health poll, 10% of people put off getting care or didn't receive it at all because of health-care providers' disdain or discrimination.
We must be able to live and be loved as our true selves. We feel less stressed and have more self-esteem when we have these choices. There has been a lot of research done on the subject of identity. The findings reveal that we feel entire when we are able to accept our identity. This gives us more self-assurance about who we are.