Homosexuality As A Mental Disorder Essay - 1550 Words

Prior to the twenty-first century, homosexuality was viewed as a mental disorder that required treatment. Both counseling and aversion therapy were exercised in attempts to â€Å"cure† individuals of their sexuality. The brutal process consisted of shock therapies, lobotomies, castrations, and drugs (Scot, 2013). A device that was commonly used was the Farrall Instrument, which functioned by showing an individual of the same sex and delivering a shock until a button was pressed to deliver another slide. The slides of the opposite sex did not deliver a shock; therefore, an association with those of the same sex would become negative and the patient receiving the treatment would become heterosexual. These practices were enacted until 1973 when the American Psychiatric Association declassified homosexuality as a mental disorder (Scot, 2013). From that point on, homosexuality increasingly grew in acceptance and still continues to do so in modern society. A variety of places that c elebrate members of the LGBT community have been established to help welcome them into society, along with an improvement of the attitudes of others and their treatments towards the communities’ members. However, homophobia and the segregation of LGBT individuals still persists in modern society to prevent their integration into civilization. Following the declassification of homosexuality as a disease in 1973, a variety of methods have been made in attempts to help members of the LGBT community becomeShow MoreRelatedIs Homosexuality A Mental Disorder?1500 Words   |  6 PagesHomosexuality has been one of the most controversial subjects around the world for thousands of years. Being a homosexual has been seen as taboo, morally wrong, and just abnormal. Scientists have questioned the mental health status of those who proclaim themselves as being homosexual, and have even gone as far to say that homosexuality is a mental disorder. Until 1974, being homosexual was deemed in th e Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) as a mental illness, and classifiedRead MoreHomosexuality As A Mental Disorder1325 Words   |  6 Pagesorientation. In the United States, and many other nations across the globe, there have been hundreds of thousands of people victimized for being homosexual. Due to differing standpoints, homosexuality is seen as â€Å"immoral† or â€Å"sinful† or even â€Å"disgusting†. Up until 1973, homosexuality was also referred to as a mental disorder by the American Psychiatric Association. People could be openly criticized, mocked, and often killed for simply being gay. Because of these social and religious criticisms, many peopleRead Morehomosexuality: a mental disorder?4366 Words   |  18 Pagesï » ¿ HOMOSEXUALITY: A MENTAL DISORDER? A Term Paper Presented to Trexie O. Alawi College of Arts and Sciences SURIGAO DEL SUR STATE UNIVERSITY Tandag City, Surigao del Sur In Partial Fulfilment Of the Requirements of the Course English 102 (Writing in the Discipline): TTH 7:30 – 9:00 a.m. 2nd Semester, AY 2013-2014 By Bruce Franklyn G. Aliguay February 2014 Homosexuality: a mental disorder? Thesis Statement: People shouldRead MoreWhy There Is Conflict Over The Dsm 51432 Words   |  6 PagesDiagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and provides a common language and standard criteria for the classification of mental disorders. (DSM) The DSM has attracted controversy and criticism as well as praise since it has been used. It was first published in 1952 there have been five revisions, gradually including more mental health disorders some has been removed and are no longer considered to be mental health disorders, and the most notably being homosexuality. (DSM-11) There are manyRead MoreHomosexuality Is Not a Psychological Disorder Essay1003 Words   |  5 PagesHomosexuality is not a psychological disorder†¦ In the past, homosexuality was considered to be a psychological disorder, up until the APA removed it from its list of mental illnesses. This was due to the fact that homosexuality causes no form of impairment on the individual’s judgment, stability, reliability, or general social and or vocational abilities. This decision made over 30 years ago, has caused a lot of criticism, many believe that the APA’s decision was made due to the amount of influenceRead MoreThe Diagnostic And Statistical Manual Of Mental Disorders1589 Words   |  7 PagesThis paper goes over several topics all of which are related to the mind and what is or is not perceived as a mental disorder. There are many different types of approaches to personality. Understanding each approach and how it compares to the others will help understand how one develops their personality. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) is in its fifth edition. Had the original manual never been updated, there would be many individuals who are misdiagnosed. AsRead MoreHomosexuality As A Psychological Disorder1511 Words   |  7 PagesThe social argument for homosexuality dates back to the ancient Greeks. Aristophanes, in his Symposium investigates homosexuality, although not termed as such, as a desire by men to share a long-term fulfillment of the soul. He believed that two souls are longing to be together, and the sexual desire alone is not strong enough to create homosexuality, but that the cultural environment allows or forbids the relationship to occur (Heffner, 2003). The debate about homosexuality dates back further thanRead MoreMental Health And The Lgbt Community1665 Words   |  7 Pagesstudies on mental health in the LGBT community. With more people being open about their sexual orientation, the LGBT community has become a bigger target for those individuals who create difference between groups to justify discrimination of a particular group. The discriminatio n towards the LGBT community has caused problems for individuals in the community, mental health being among the biggest problem. Studies have shown that the discrimination of LGBT individuals can affect mental health. NotRead MoreThe Diagnostic Statistical Manual For Mental Health823 Words   |  4 Pagesthe mental health field. The DSM was created to assist clinicians in diagnosing and recognizing mental illness in their clients. It has been used for over six decades and there are a total of five editions. Each edition has some updated and new information that wasn’t included in the last edition. The reason for the changes in the DSM is because the mental health field is always evolving. There’s new information that’s discovered from research and is implemented into the next DSM. All mental healthRead MoreThe Psychology Of Sexual Orientations934 Words   |  4 PagesAnd with these terms came huge stigma that still exists today. There are many different sexual orientations that people identify as (including heterosexuality, homosexuality, bisexuality, as well as many others); the orien tations that do not coincide with what people viewed as normal were originally given classification as mental disorders. The most common sexual orientation, regardless of culture, is heterosexuality. This is defined as a sexual orientation in which an individual is generally sexually