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mmnin on 28 March 2009
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halogamer1989 said:
Tyrannical said:
The Ghost of RubangB said:

It was reclassified in part due to studies done at UCLA in the late 60s and early 70s.  They studied a large group of homosexual men in Los Angeles, and found that the percentage of homosexuals with mental illnesses is exactly the same as the percentage of heterosexuals with mental illnesses.  Mental illnesses often come in groups, or one can lead to another.  So if homosexuals were mentally unstable, they would have more mental illnesses than heterosexuals.  But they don't.  So it was concluded that homosexuality is not a mental illness.

 

Did you make that up?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homosexuality_and_psychology#cite_note-8

  • Psychiatric disorders: In a Dutch study, gay men reported significantly higher mood and anxiety disorders than straight men, and lesbians were significantly more likely to experience depression (but not other mood or anxiety disorders) than straight women.[8] This difference may be caused by the stresses gay and lesbian people face stemming from anti-gay attitudes. However, a Netherlands study (where homosexuality is much more widely accepted than that in the U.S.) shows that mental health problems in homosexuals are still much higher than in heterosexuals, despite the more tolerant society.[9] [1]

 

  • Suicide: Gay and bisexual male youths are over 13 times more likely to attempt suicide than heterosexual male youths.[5] No such difference was found between lesbian and straight female youths.[6] Gay and lesbian youth who attempt suicide are disproportionately subject to anti-gay attitudes, and have weaker skills for coping with discrimination, isolation, and loneliness, than those who do not attempt suicide.[1][7]

 

We have a winner folks.  This is also a large reason why generals wan't full non-homosexual armies under their command, AFRICOM, CENTCOM, what have you.  The anxiety is exacerbated on the field with gay men.

 

I would like to know what they classify as anti-gay attitudes.  Are they talking about blatant comments and actions from others that reject a person who is homosexual, or are they talking as well about an environment that is simply more condusive to heterosexual behavior.  If a person grows up different from everyone around them, of course including even their parents, they will naturally feel alone and different regardless of how they are treated.  Sure some of them, if loved enough, can learn to accept themselves and think of themselves as special, but more often than not, because kids go through stages of development, they are not going to just accept themselves naturally and parents don't usually know what to do when their child is homosexual.  Everyone wants to be normal and to get along with others, but it is exceptionally hard for people who aren't like those around them.  I wonder if there are more mental problems associated with ANY person (minority) who grows up in an environment with a HUGE proportion difference with the majority. 

Most gay kids grow up only knowing maybe 3 or 4 others like them at most, everyone else is either heterosexual, in the closet, or in places that they shouldn't be.  And those 3 or 4 may not even be friends with each other.  And because of confusion, harmones, and finding oneself, they might have slept with those few people who are like them by the time they get out of high school.  Why?  Because they are pushed and drawn to those who are like them because they are the minority and because they do not have the same relationship options that others do (marriage as a moral stabilizer). 

They are not just a minority in race either, but in sexual attraction which is a detrimental part of becoming an adult and a prime source of confusion amongst teens.  Teens will learn from others and their parents how to behave appropriately, but with homosexuals, they don't have anyone to teach them, since their parents are most likely heterosexual.  What makes it even harder is that, contrary to what some believe, homosexual feelings are a part of who a person IS, therefore if they feel that that part of them is not normal or is not accepted to any degree, then they are rejecting themselves and will have a much harder time following the necessary path to good mental health.  So they will be more apt to do things that mess with their emotions, self esteem, and social status.  They might rebel more, close in more, or do destructive acts.  They will also have a tendancy to fulfill the image that they are treated as.  Instead of just being who they are, they might dress, act, and talk like a stereotypical homosexual.  Homosexuality starts to become WHO they are because it is the one thing that stands out as such a difference from everyone else and becomes a focal point in their developmental process, a time when they should be thinking more of what they want out of life.