The Dangers and Abuses of Conversion Therapy

Conversion therapy is a form of child abuse and hate crime that aims to change the very foundation of a gay person by ripping apart his psyche and reforming it. That may seem bombastic, hyperbolic, and extreme, but teens in conversion therapy are eight times more likely to attempt suicide. Some even go as far as to call it "psychological abuse," according to the National Center for Lesbian Rights. This practice, looked down upon by every credible psychological and health organization, needs to end to save the lives of thousands of LGBT people.

Although people may go into conversion therapy willingly, most of those entered into reparative therapy are children and teens forced by their homophobic parents. One of these such individuals is the

It has been banned for minors in California, Illinois, New Jersey, Oregon, Vermont and the District of Columbia and similar legislation has been passed in 20 other states. Many organizations, governmental included, have taken a stance against conversion therapy, including, but not limited to: the American Academy of Child Adolescent Psychiatry, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, the American Psychological Association, the National Association of Social Workers, the World Psychiatric Association, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. People are six times more likely to report severe depression when placed in conversion therapy. Ethically, most therapists denounce it because of its harmful effects on the patient, as it promotes unhealthy beliefs about themselves, which is the very thing therapy and counseling tries to stop. Some techniques used include electroshock and chemical therapy that induces vomiting at the thought of same-sex attraction. The fact that this torture is allowed to continue is rightfully astonishing to many people, not just those in the gay

Many people shared this opinion in the early 20th century, before its classification as a mental illness was removed in 1973. The notion of homosexuality being a mental illness was disproved earlier, in 1956, in a study by Evelyn Hooker. The study, called "The Adjustment of the Male Overt Homosexual," proved that there was no mental health difference between a group of straight and gay men, thus disproving the idea that homosexuality was a mental disorder. In fact, it is more than likely that those in conversion therapy will develop a mental illness as a result of the psychological torture they are put through.

Unfortunately, it is hard to estimate how many people have committed suicide due to conversion therapy and the effects it has on the human brain. Despite this and all of the negative facts about so-called "reparative therapy," it is still being used by thousands of people around the country, contrary to the fact that scientific research proves it is ineffective and