Some people in our progressive age believe that homosexuality is a disease. Such an opinion cannot be considered correct, since there is no such diagnosis in the list of international classification of diseases. If just a century ago, having a non-traditional sexual orientation was considered something unworthy, today even public people - actors, artists, fashion designers, etc. - do not hesitate to admit their preferences. Is homosexuality a disease? Homophobes (people who hate and are aggressive towards men who are attracted to the same sex) think so. However, the version of traditional psychiatry differs from the opinion of homophobes.
Psychiatry's opinion on a person's sexual orientation
About the relationship between a person's sexual orientation and his mental state, they have been arguing for a long time all over the world. Is homosexuality a disease? And if yes, thenIs it possible to cure her, to return a man's attraction to individuals of the opposite sex? At first glance, attraction to members of the same sex is precisely a disease, since such relationships cannot lead to procreation and the birth of children. However, in our modern world, which is already "bursting at the seams" from overpopulation, this issue has ceased to be as relevant as, for example, 200-300 years ago. The number of the human population is already growing at a rapid pace, and the issue of the relevance of reproduction and procreation fades into the background. To date, the answer of modern psychiatry to the question of whether homosexuality is a disease or not is unambiguous - no, it is not. There is no such disease in the list of international classification of diseases.
How exactly do modern psychiatrists interpret the term "homosexuality"? Is it a disease or just a whim, a desire to "have fun"? Maybe these are the consequences of psychological and physical injuries that were received by a man at an early age? Is homosexuality a disease? No, this is a kind of developmental feature, a personal characteristic, but not a pathology in the truest sense of the word.
Attitudes towards homosexuality in modern society
Homosexuality, according to the modern school of psychiatry, is a violation of the psychosexual development of a male person, which leads in one way or another to the emergence of sexual interest in people of the same sex. This is the so-called deviation, but notdisease in the truest sense of the word.
Homosexuality should be attributed to disorders associated with a violation of a person's gender identity - sexual deviations. Some psychiatrists are still of the opinion that homosexuality is a mental illness that requires therapy in the same way as phobias, anxiety and depressive disorders. Allegedly, homosexuality is sexual behavior and preferences that were acquired by a person during his life, and not acquired at birth, not innate. Based on this view, we can conclude that homosexuality can be cured - if you find a way to "reflash" the relationship received by a homosexual.
But is it necessary for the most "sick" person? After all, most often they live a happy and full life, which would be the envy of any "he althy" people with a traditional sexual orientation. Heterosexuals often have a much higher number of casual sex and can not always call themselves happy.
The well-known Dutch psychiatrist Johan Leonard, who devoted a lot of time to researching the phenomenon of non-traditional sexual orientation, wrote: “For many years of my practice, I have never seen a he althy and happy homosexual, homosexuality is not a hereditary disease, it is just a symptom of a certain neurotic personality disorder. However, this statement is rather controversial - in fact, only those homosexuals who are aware of their inferiority turn to a psychotherapist - this is usually caused by an extremely negativesociety's attitude towards homosexuality. How can a person be happy whose views are often ridiculed even by their own parents and closest friends? Of course, he cannot call himself happy, he thinks that he is sick - so he is forced to turn to a psychotherapist for help. In progressive, developed countries, where the phenomenon of homophobia is eradicated, people with non-traditional sexual orientation feel quite happy.
Symptoms: how and in what manifestations of non-traditional sexual orientation in a man
Modern psychiatry identifies the following criteria by which we can talk about the presence of non-traditional sexual orientation among the stronger sex:
- sexual interest in men and total lack of interest in women;
- almost always the body of a mature woman can cause negative emotions, up to disgust;
- prone to sexual deviations of a different plan - often like games with dominance and submission, bondage, etc.;
- the tendency to create illusions and a self-image that does not correspond to reality;
- do not consider their deviation a problem, do not think about whether homosexuality is a disease;
- prone to outrageous appearance - often the desire to make up the face and eyes, do makeup, wear bright and tight clothes is irresistible, even if there is a risk of aggression from surrounding homophobes;
- many people with non-traditional sexual orientation, even havingone regular partner, tend to feel desire for other men.
How to recognize homosexuality in a child at an early age? As a rule, homosexuality can be recognized already in the first ten years of a future man's life. To do this, you need to be a fairly attentive specialist, since the signs of homosexuality are quite easy to confuse with other manifestations of neuroticism, anxiety and other psychiatric disorders. So, the boy can trace the following symptoms of a future non-traditional orientation:
- desire to play and interact (be friends, communicate) exclusively with persons of the same sex;
- rejection of the main characteristics of one's own sex - masculinity, strength, responsibility;
- in role-playing games willingly and happily tries on female roles - mothers, housewives, daughters, wives;
- fearfulness, anxiety even for minor reasons;
- disgust and reluctance to participate in team sports that require masculinity, strength, and quick and responsible decision-making.
Reasons for the development of non-traditional sexual orientation in men
If we assume that homosexuality is a disease, then we can try to identify the main stages in the development of this deviation. According to those psychiatrists who believe that homosexuality can be "cured", the reasons for the development of this pathology are as follows:
- Scientists have tried for many years to discover the "gene" of homosexuality, but theythis was not possible - this fact indicates that the deviation is not inherited - the reasons for its development are purely psychological level. Studies conducted with identical twins have proven that one of the brothers can be homosexual, while the other is heterosexual.
- Often the development of homosexual behavior in adulthood is preceded by the experience of childhood rape by a man and the resulting psychological trauma.
- Voluntary homosexual experience in the past (whether in childhood or adolescence) also contributes to the development of persistent homosexuality.
- Such character traits as self-centeredness and infantilism also contribute to the propensity to sexual perversion and, as a result, to homosexuality.
- Lack of care and communication from the father, deprivation of the boy's father for one reason or another may cause the development of non-traditional sexual orientation in the future (it is highly undesirable to recreate a negative image of the father in the boy's memory - this is almost guaranteed to lead to an unhe althy perception of men by the boy).
- If the father suffered from alcoholism, there was physical violence in the house, the child often experienced fear and did not feel happy - this may cause the development of various kinds of sexual deviations in the future.
- If the mother or other family members constantly punished the boy, ridiculed his vulnerability and anxiety, used cruel corporal punishment against him - in the future he may becomebisexual or get other problems and deviations of sexual development.
- If a mother desired the birth of a daughter more than the birth of a son, and raised the boy with overprotectiveness, this may lead to the development of homosexuality in the future.
- Growing up in an environment that is filled with triggers for misbehaving sexual behavior - "a bad example is contagious." It is important to provide the boy with interesting and varied leisure activities that correspond to his gender role. Visits to radio engineering circles, sports sections, team sports classes are excellent for this.
Psychiatric diagnoses that may accompany homosexuality
As a rule, homosexuality is accompanied by the following psychiatric conditions and pathologies:
- suicidal thoughts;
- schizophrenia in varying degrees of severity;
- depressive, anxiety disorders;
- bipolar disorder;
- narcissism.
However, it cannot be said with certainty that homosexuality and mental disorders always go together. Studies and testing have proven that there are also mentally stable homosexuals who have not shown any symptoms of mental abnormalities. Modern psychiatry no longer raises the question of whether homosexuality is a disease or a normal state. It is clear that this is a variation of the norm. But if a person with a different orientation has symptoms of other mental disorders in parallel, they should be treated first of all. Whatever the reasonhomosexuality, this deviation is secondary. Depression and similar disorders, which are really diseases, should be de alt with first of all.
Treatment of homosexuality: myths and reality
Is it possible to return a person to a heterosexual orientation? This question has occupied the minds of psychiatrists for a long time. Therapy of homosexuality at the moment is not possible, and the main question in this case is why treat a person who is actually he althy. This question comes from a basic one: Is homosexuality a disease? After all, if not, if a person is he althy - what kind of treatment can we talk about?
However, in the last century, quite a few experiments were carried out, sometimes cruel and humiliating for the patient, during which attempts were made to cure the "mental illness" of homosexuality.
The first researchers of homosexuality among psychologists came to the conclusion that homosexuality is a mental disorder or even a degenerative disease that should be treated. Methods of treatment, often forced, were offered in a variety of ways - from electroshock therapy to castration.
Today the question is "Is there a cure for homosexuality?" not relevant. This is a relic of the past. Since since 1990 this pathology has not been included in the international classification of diseases (ICD-10), then talk about the "treatment" of homosexuality is incorrect and offensive inagainst people with an unusual orientation.
The difference between bisexual and homosexual behavior
There is little difference between bisexual behavior (when a man is equally aroused by both sexes) and homosexual (when a man is only attracted to members of his own sex). Both variants of sexual behavior from the point of view of modern psychiatry are the norm and do not belong to painful conditions.
The causes of homosexuality and bisexual behavior are very similar and often lie on the same plane of psychology. However, if you dig deeper, it becomes clear that the degree of deviation directly depends on the initial qualities of a person's character - how impressionable, vulnerable, anxious he is. After all, some children grow up in an incomplete family (as one of the possible causes of sexual deviations) and end up with a heterosexual deviation. And others grow up in an incomplete family, and their worldview, inclinations and character change once and for all.
Psychotherapy methods that can affect orientation
In the last century, psychiatrists tried to "cure" homosexuals with quite worthy methods of influence. Specifically, these are:
- Hypnosis - is a method that involves introducing a patient into a deep trance, during which the hypnotherapist inspires a person with new attitudes, works out his deep character defects. This method has proven to be useless - ifthe patient and changed the direction of his sexual desire, then only for a short time.
- Replacing one sexual activity with another - that is, forced, coercive treatment, which consisted in the fact that patients were forced to have sexual intercourse with a woman. This method has proved its complete inefficiency, let alone its inhumanity.
- Personality maturation therapy is that in the course of regular conversations with a psychotherapist, the patient works out his deepest traumas, as a result of which it turns out to achieve peace and harmony with himself. The goal of this therapy is not only to reconsider your sexual preferences, but also to get rid of depressive and anxiety disorders.
- Group therapy involves discussing your psychological state in a group of other patients. It has long been proven that psychologically it becomes easier for a person when he can share a problem with other people.
- Individual psychotherapy involves a long (sometimes longer than one year) work with a psychotherapist of one patient. The frequency of sessions in each individual case is different, but, as a rule, at least four times a month to achieve a pronounced therapeutic effect. Such sessions are effective primarily for people with serious psychological problems, not only with homosexuality. Individual psychotherapy is indicated for people with depressive, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorders, etc.
Are there drugs or pills for homosexuality
Ifif the patient can work with a psychotherapist and correct his internal attitudes - this may make sense and, first of all, benefit the person with a non-traditional orientation, then drug treatment does not make any sense in such cases.
In the past century, some psychiatrists have tried drug therapy for homosexuality - with anticonvulsants, antidepressants, and even neuroleptics (which are very serious, addictive drugs with many side effects). Such drugs should be taken not by those people who are "sick" with homosexuality, but by people with real mental disorders that make life without taking medications impossible.
Is there a prevention of homosexuality
Today, one can only assume the effectiveness of certain preventive measures against the development of deviations in sexual behavior. One thing is for sure - if a child grows up in a full-fledged family, if he does not regularly observe inappropriate behavior of his parents, does not experience reasons for self-flagellation, is not subjected to ridicule and humiliation from classmates - it can be said with confidence that in the future he is unlikely to suffer from various kind of sexual deviations.
However, in such a delicate topic, it is impossible to say anything for sure. Parents should not in one way or another focus on the topic of homosexuality if they notice feminine traits in the boy's behavior. In someSometimes it's temporary, sometimes it's not. One thing is for sure: if the parents, the closest people in a child's life, start to ridicule or punish him for simply trying to be himself, this will lead to his distance. And if a child, for one reason or another, begins to hate his parents, the psychological distance between them increases, then new problems may appear - communication with a bad company and others.
