Conversion practice linked to greater risk of mental health symptoms, US surveys

[Jessica_Rose]

Conversion practice linked to greater risk of mental health symptoms, US surveys of LGBTQ+ people suggest

https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/conversion-practice-linked-to-greater-risk-of-mental-health-symptoms-us-surveys-of-lgbtq-people-suggest/ar-AA1ruDRv?ocid=windirect&cvid=25cfdfc37a1a43aab6e8bc6dbe282a92&ei=29

Story by Science X staff (Sep 2024)

People identifying as LGBTQ+ who have undergone conversion practice—commonly known as conversion therapy—are more likely to experience poor mental health, according to a study published in The Lancet Psychiatry journal.

The findings—based on surveys of 4,426 LGBTQ+ adults in the U.S.—suggest people subjected to controversial practices targeting their gender identity or sexual orientation may be more likely to experience depression, PTSD, and suicidal thoughts or attempts. Transgender participants reported greater mental health symptoms overall.

Conversion practice is a formal, structured attempt to alter a person's sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. It often involves psychological, behavioral, physical, and faith-based practices.

When looking at conversion practices aimed only at sexual orientation or practices aimed at both, cisgender and transgender people have a similarly increased likelihood of experiencing symptoms of depression and PTSD.

Despite widespread opposition from professional medical and mental health organizations, conversion practice still occurs in parts of the U.S. How often it is practiced in the U.S. remains unclear—previous research suggests it may be between 4% and 34% of LGBTQ+ people—but significant numbers of LGBTQ+ people report experiencing conversion practice, with rates higher among transgender people compared to cisgender people.

[TanyaG]

This is a good paper although there is little research which suggests other than the conclusions this team found. Of the group studied, 1923 (43·4%) were transgender and gender diverse. 149 (3·4%) participants reported sexual orientation-related conversion practice alone, 43 (1·0%) reported gender identity-related conversion practice alone, and 42 (1·0%) reported both.

My calculator says 4.4% of transgender people in the sample went through either gender conversion therapy or gender and sexual orientation therapy, so there may be members here who have experienced it too?

Recall of gender identity-related conversion practice alone was most strongly associated with greater depressive symptoms. The abstract concludes: 'These findings support calls to ban conversion practices because of their effects as a structural determinant of mental health.'

For anyone who wants the reference it is: Tran, Nguyen K., Elle Lett, Barbara Cassese, Carl G. Streed, Jr., David J. Kinitz, Shalonda Ingram, Karalin Sprague, et al. "Conversion Practice Recall and Mental Health Symptoms in Sexual and Gender Minority Adults in the USA: A Cross-Sectional Study." The Lancet Psychiatry  (2024). Right now it is online only and paywalled. $35.95 unless someone here has a login.

[Lori Dee]

I was never put in a room where people tried to convince me that I was a heterosexual male. But society in general did.

I knew that I was different early on, as did many of us. And like many of us, we were forced to adopt a role of certain sex/gender stereotypes to avoid physical violence. After years of being physically and verbally assaulted, I learned how to blend in. It's all there in my story and the stories told by many of us here.

The "Conversion Therapy" forced upon us by society (friends, family, schools, and government) caused many of us extreme hardships and we were not happy people. Getting into therapy helped me realize that I was living a lie and that by not being able to be true to myself and others was causing me distress.

And it continues today to affect many more of us until the laws are changed and we become accepted for who we are by our own government - the people we elected to represent us. "Conversion Therapy" doesn't happen in a dark room of an abandoned warehouse. It happens every day on the streets of our local communities where we live and work.

[TanyaG]

"Conversion Therapy" doesn't happen in a dark room of an abandoned warehouse. It happens every day on the streets of our local communities where we live and work.

This is the core of the transgender model. But conversion therapy is a ratchet up on society's discrimination. The last government in the UK was ready to ban it, but the churches intervened it looks as if it may not go through now.