Nearly Half of Gays in Therapy

The Advocate has a story with statistics that I do not find at all surprising given the constant anti-gay message disseminated by so many religious denominations and the fear many of us have on the employment front for lack of employment non-discrimination laws - gays and lesbians get mental health treatment at twice the rate of heterosexuals. Constant dehumanization, being told that one is doomed to go to Hell, and fears of family rejection take a significant toll. In my own case, therapy helped me overcome decades of religious poison. Once I had put that issue behind me, therapy also helped me begin to move on with my life and accept my sexual orientation. For readers who are in the closet and who have not tried therapy, I strongly recommend it regardless of whether you decide to come out. I continue to rely on therapy and medication to help me get through the nastiness of the post divorce wars and push back suicidal thoughts when I find myself subjected to Virginia's anti-gay legal system. Here are highlights from the Advocate story:

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Gays and lesbians get mental health treatment at twice the rate of heterosexuals, a new study concludes. The group least likely to seek treatment? Heterosexual men. . . . . 48% of lesbian, gay, and bisexual men and women have received treatment in the past year, compared to 22% of straight people.

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"The pervasive and historically rooted societal pathologizing of homosexuality may contribute to this propensity for treatment by construing homosexuality and issues associated with it as mental health problems," said Susan Cochran, professor of epidemiology at the UCLA School of Public Health and one of the study's authors.

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Many LGBT individuals do not have diagnosable disorders but seek treatment for psychological distress, the report shows. The study also found that ethnic and racial minorities are less likely to use mental health services. The study was published today in the journal BMC Psychiatry.

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I believe that only when (1) the spiritual murder that so many religious denominations inflict on LGBT individuals truly ends and (2) LGBT citizens secure equality under the civil laws will we see a significant change in the higher rate of therapy among the LGBT community. Being relentlessly stigmatized takes a significant toll.