Is homosexuality a mental illness? Can homosexuals be cured?
Neither the American Psychological Association nor the American Psychiatric Association consider homosexuality a mental illness. There is no evidence to support that persons who are LGBTQ suffer from mental illness at a rate different from heterosexuals. Common myths related to this question are that homosexuality is an arrested state of development (that LGBTQ people never got past “that phase”) or that all LGBTQ people are emotionally immature. Studies have found no difference between homosexuals and heterosexuals on a variety of criteria, including self-esteem. family relations, and general life satisfaction. In some cases, persons who are LGBTQ experience greater need for counseling or therapy, but this is more directly related to the prejudice , social stigma, and negativity they encounter in society, rather than inherent mental illness. Since homosexuality is not an illness, there is no need to “cure” it. Most psychiatric attempts to “cure” homosexuality have failed to change the
