Homosexuality and Mental Health Issues

[007]

Homosexuality and Mental Health Issues

The Mentally Ill and Homosexual Behavior: Although homosexuality is not considered a mental illness, various mentally ill individuals are more likely to engage in homosexual behavior than mentally normal individuals, as shown below. One wonders why?

Several studies have reported a relative overrepresentation of homosexuals and bisexuals among individuals with borderline personality disorder. [1], [2] Several studies have reported elevated personality disorders among male homosexuals. [3]

Nonheterosexuals are relatively overrepresented among mentally ill homeless men [4] and homeless female adolescents/women (with elevated mental disorders). (16, 17) Nonheterosexuals are relatively overrepresented among mentally ill patients, especially schizophrenics. [5] Schizophrenics manifest an elevated likelihood of a variety of sexual delusions/hallucinations and unusual sexual behaviors, including homosexual behavior. (21-27)

Homosexual men are relatively overrepresented among male patients with eating disorders. (28-31) Homosexual and heterosexual women likely have a similar prevalence of eating disorders. (32) In a population-based study of adolescents, [6] more homosexual than heterosexual girls reported a positive body image (42.1% vs. 20.5%), but these two groups did not differ with respect to frequent dieting, binge eating, or purging behaviors. (31) Male homosexuals are more likely to manifest eating disorder symptoms compared to heterosexual men even after controlling for depression, self-esteem, and comfort with sexual orientation. (33)

Nonheterosexuals are relatively overrepresented among pedophiles, sexual sadists, sexual masochists, sexual sadomasochists, zoophiles, and likely other paraphiles (see 1, 2, 3, 4). Nonheterosexuals are also relatively overrepresented among individuals with non-paraphilic sexual compulsion disorders (see here). How does so-called homophobia account for the high prevalence of nonheterosexuals among the mentally ill?

entire article...

http://www.amazinginfoonhomosexuals.com/mental_illness.htm

 

[Bullypulpit]

<blockquote>Modern attitudes toward homosexuality have religious, legal, and medical underpinnings. Before the High Middle Ages, homosexual acts appear to have been widely tolerated or ignored by the Christian church throughout Europe. Beginning in the latter twelfth century, however, hostility toward homosexuality began to take root, and eventually spread throughout European religious and secular institutions. Condemnation of homosexual behavior as "unnatural," which received official expression in the writings of Thomas Aquinas and others, became widespread and has continued through the present day (Boswell, 1980).

Religious teachings soon were incorporated into legal sanctions. Many of the early American colonies, for example, enacted stiff criminal penalties for sodomy (which the statutes often described only in Latin or with oblique phrases such as "wickedness not to be named"). In some places, such as the New Haven colony, male and female homosexual acts were punishable by death (e.g., Katz, 1976)...

...<b>Hooker's study</b>

Hooker's (1957) study was innovative in several important respects. First, rather than simply accepting the predominant view of homosexuality as pathology, she posed the question of whether homosexuals and heterosexuals differed in their psychological adjustment. Second, rather than studying psychiatric patients, she recruited a sample of homosexual men who were functioning normally in society. Third, she employed a procedure that asked experts to rate the adjustment of men without prior knowledge of their sexual orientation. This method addressed an important source of bias that had vitiated so many previous studies of homosexuality.

Hooker administered three projective tests (the Rorschach, Thematic Apperception Test [TAT], and Make-A-Picture-Story [MAPS] Test) to 30 homosexual males and 30 heterosexual males recruited through community organizations. The two groups were matched for age, IQ, and education. None of the men were in therapy at the time of the study.

Unaware of each subject's sexual orientation, two independent Rorschach experts evaluated the men's overall adjustment using a 5-point scale. They classified two-thirds of the heterosexuals and two-thirds of the homosexuals in the three highest categories of adjustment. When asked to identify which Rorschach protocols were obtained from homosexuals, the experts could not distinguish respondents' sexual orientation at a level better than chance. </blockquote>

For the full text, goto:

http://psychology.ucdavis.edu/rainbow/html/facts_mental_health.html

<b>"When asked to identify which Rorschach protocols were obtained from homosexuals, the experts could not distinguish respondents' sexual orientation at a level better than chance." </b>

Statistically, and psychologically, speaking there's no difference between homosexual and straight folks. This study has been consistently repeated in the intervening decades since it was first carried out. Kinda shoots your lame-brained pseudo-scientific, right-wingnut propaganda in the butt.

Then again, racist or homophobe...fellow travelers.

 

[007]

Homosexuality and Suicide

Summary: Nonheterosexuals manifest elevated suicidal ideation and suicide attempts compared to heterosexuals, but there is no reliable evidence that nonheterosexuals are correspondingly relatively overrepresented among those that successfully commit suicide. Various considerations suggest that elevated suicide attempts and suicidal ideation among nonheterosexuals are additional manifestations of elevated psychiatric morbidity among them.

Paper: In 1989, a task force established by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services drafted a final report on youth suicide. The report mentioned an estimate by homosexual activist Paul Gibson that up to 30% of annual youth suicide victims may comprise of homosexuals. (1) Homosexuals frequently cite this statistic even though the government disavowed this report. Gibson noted that homosexual youth are about 3 times as likely to attempt suicide compared to heterosexual youth, and believing that 10% of the population is homosexual, he estimated that 30% of youth who commit suicide are homosexual.

Imagine a group, some members of which commit suicide and succeed on their first attempt. If one were to take a random sampling of this group and ask about suicide attempts in lifetime, one would come across a prevalence of 0% because anybody who attempted suicide died. Clearly, a 0% suicide attempt rate obtained herein does not imply a 0% suicide rate. However, if in the same group, those who commit suicide succeed on their first attempt, which immediately follows suicidal ideation, then a sampling of this group would reveal a 0% rate of both suicide attempts and suicidal ideation. May we suppose that none belonging to this group ever think about suicide? At the other extreme, a group, some members of which think about killing themselves but attempt suicide without success, would achieve a suicide rate of 0%. This should suffice to point out the mistake made by Gibson.

Young women attempt suicide at rates 2-9 times higher than young men. (2) Should we conclude that they commit suicide at rates 2-9 times higher than young men? It happens that young men commit suicide at a rate 6 times higher than young women. (2) The discrepancy between the prevalence of suicide attempts and actual suicides is greater among adolescents than adults. For instance, according to CDC estimates, approximately 86 Americans commit suicide everyday whereas 1,500 Americans attempt suicide everyday, i.e., suicide attempts are approximately 18 times more common than actual suicides. (3) On the other hand, injurious suicide attempts by adolescents are about 100 times more common than actual suicides. (4) In short, a high prevalence of suicide attempts does not necessarily imply a high suicide rate. Do homosexuals constitute a great proportion of individuals that successfully commit suicide?

Robins described 134 individuals aged 24 years or older that committed suicide; none of them were homosexual. (5)
Shaffer et al. reported that in an examination of 120 (95 were men) out of 170 consecutive suicide victims less than age 20 years, 3 were male homosexuals judging by behavior or identification and 3 other men were somewhat behaviorally feminine. (6) None of the three homosexuals had committed suicide following a stigmatizing episode and all had psychiatric disorders. (6)
Beskow reported that among 271 Swedish male suicides aged 15 years or older, 5 of 161 (3.1%) in the urban sample and 1 of 110 (0.09%) in the rural sample were homosexual. (7)
Rothberg et al. noted that 1.7% of 212 U.S. Army personnel that committed suicide in 1985-1986 were homosexual. (8) Some assume that the Army’s exclusionary policy toward homosexuals decreases the number of homosexuals in it. However, homosexuals and bisexuals are relatively overrepresented in the army (see Section 4.5 in the book).
Rich et al. reported that among 283 suicides in San Diego, from November 1981 to June 1983, consisting of 133 consecutive cases under age 30 years and 150 consecutive cases over age 30 years, 202 were men and 81 were women. (9) No woman was homosexual. Among the men, 13 (6.4%) were homosexual. All 13 homosexual men were in the age range 21-42 years. There were 106 heterosexual men in this age range. Both the homosexual and heterosexual suicide victims in the age range 21-42 years could not be distinguished on various characteristics, although there appeared a tendency for the homosexuals to have manifested elevated psychotic disorders and elevated past suicide attempts. Of the 13 homosexuals, 12 had one or more DSM- III substance abuse diagnoses, and 11 had a DSM- III diagnosis other than substance abuse. (9)
In a 1991 random Gallup poll of 1,152 teenagers, homosexual behavior or orientation was not cited by any teen as responsible for suicide attempts by themselves or their friends, and this was also true of a follow-up random poll of 1,612 teenagers in 1994. (10)
Although homosexual men are far more likely than heterosexual men to attempt suicide or think about suicide, it does not appear that they are considerably relatively overrepresented among individuals that successfully commit suicide. In fact, one can say with reasonable confidence that even if one could show that homosexual men are somewhat relatively overrepresented among suicide victims, the discrepancy between attempted suicides and successful suicides would still be much greater among homosexual men than among heterosexual men. In Rich et al.’s study above, (9) 67% of the deceased homosexuals had previously attempted suicide, whereas only 37% of the deceased heterosexuals in the same age range had previously attempted suicide; this discrepancy would have been statistically significant had the sample size been larger, and these figures suggest that the heterosexual group was more successful at committing suicide than the homosexual group; besides, the authors did not find any homosexual among the deceased youth. Given such considerations, Gibson’s 30% statistic is even more remarkable because the only way 30% of suicides could consist of homosexuals would be if a much greater proportion of homosexual suicide attempters were successful compared to heterosexual suicide attempters.

An oft-repeated claim is that elevated suicidality in homosexuals results from societal prejudice and rejection leading to the internalization of homophobia. However, as we have seen elsewhere (see 1, 2, 3), even if one controls for such factors, homosexuals still manifest elevated suicidality than heterosexuals. One expects societal rejection to lead to sadness or depression, and depression, in turn, leads to hyposexual behavior in normal individuals. However, homosexuals manifest elevated promiscuity (see 1, 2, 3, 4). In this regard, Durant et al. reported that among male adolescents reporting one or more same-sex partners; alcohol, marijuana, and smokeless tobacco use at school; not attending school because of fear; having been threatened or injured with a weapon at school; and weapon carrying at school accounted for 15.8% of the variance in the number of male sexual partners, or 17.2% of the variance after the inclusion of suicide attempts or cigarette smoking, i.e., more partners correlate with elevated risky behaviors among male homosexuals. (11)

In a sample of homosexual and bisexual youth, several had run away from their homes at least once (see here). In a comparison of 59 mostly non-white male runaways between the ages of 12 and 18 years with 60 mostly non-white homosexual and bisexual males attending a community agency and within the same age range, both groups had initiated sexual activity at a mean age of 12.6 years and the runaways had had a median of 11 women sexual partners whereas the nonheterosexual youth had had a median of 7 male sexual partners. (12) One wouldn’t blame so-called homophobia for precocious sexuality and promiscuity among heterosexual runaway youth and caution is required before one does so for homosexual youth. On the other hand, homeless nonheterosexual adolescents are worse than homeless heterosexual adolescents with respect to frequency of leaving home, victimization, substance use, psychopathology, and promiscuity. (13)

full article...

http://www.amazinginfoonhomosexuals.com/suicide.htm

 

[Dave]

Guys who pork or get porked in the cornhole I think they just might have a little mental problem.

 

[OCA]

Guys who pork or get porked in the cornhole I think they just might have a little mental problem.

I give credit where credit is due and that is the first and only fucken thing you've written that made 1 bit of fucken sense, congratulations. Now just 3,000 more insigfhtful comments and you'll be good enough to wash my jockstrap.

 

[nakedemperor]

I wonder what the incidence rate of mental inless is in respect to sexual deviance, not just homosexual deviance. Bet the correlation would be pretty high.

 

[007]

I wonder what the incidence rate of mental inless is in respect to sexual deviance, not just homosexual deviance. Bet the correlation would be pretty high.

It's in the first article numb nuts. Use the link and read ALL of it.

 

[OCA]

I wonder what the incidence rate of mental inless is in respect to sexual deviance, not just homosexual deviance. Bet the correlation would be pretty high.

There you go Naked, avoid all the stats. No matter what way you slice it homosexuality is a foolish and dangerous lifestyle choice.

Pale is completely right, just the fact that someone would choose to cavort with the same sex when they clearly have the decision making ability to not do it is clear indication of mental problems.

 

[Mr. P]

Interesting thread...

Let me be clear here, I'm not defending Homosexuality as a lifestyle.

I think OCA has inadvertently hit the nail on the head with the following....

...just the fact that someone would choose to cavort with the same sex...

Key word here folks..."CHOOSE".

So what I'd like to know is this....Pale, OCA, Dave and the rest of you
that suggest or feel homosexuality is a choice that is made...
When did you guys make that "Conscious choice" to be Heterosexual?
How old were you, when you woke up that fine day and said....
hummm, I have a choice to make...which way shall I go?

Think about it.

 

[5stringJeff]

So what I'd like to know is this....Pale, OCA, Dave and the rest of you
that suggest or feel homosexuality is a choice that is made...
When did you guys make that "Conscious choice" to be Heterosexual?
How old were you, when you woke up that fine day and said....
hummm, I have a choice to make...which way shall I go?

Heterosexuality is natural. Attraction to the opposite sex is natural. If it weren't, every species on earth that reproduces sexually would have gone extinct by now.
But as for the time frame when I recognized this, I think it was the first day in kindergarten when I noticed this cute girl named Holly. I tried to get her to kiss me a couple of times but (no surprise) she wasn't interested.

 

[Mr. P]

Heterosexuality is natural. Attraction to the opposite sex is natural. If it weren't, every species on earth that reproduces sexually would have gone extinct by now.
But as for the time frame when I recognized this, I think it was the first day in kindergarten when I noticed this cute girl named Holly. I tried to get her to kiss me a couple of times but (no surprise) she wasn't interested.

The premise of your post suggests Heterosexuality is natural therefor nothing else is.
While I agree that Heterosexuality is natural for the majority of people/species,
I disagree with the premise overall....

I agree Heterosexuality is natural for heterosexuals as Homosexuality is natural for homosexuals.

Now I'm sure Holly was cute as can be...but you didn't make a conscious choice to
try an kiss her instead of Billy, did you? No, you didn't, as you said it was Natural (for you and most of us).


*Since this seems to be such a passionate subject on the board,
I'll say again...I'm not promoting the gay lifestyle.*

 

[007]

The premise of your post suggests Heterosexuality is natural therefor nothing else is.
While I agree that Heterosexuality is natural for the majority of people/species,
I disagree with the premise overall....

I agree Heterosexuality is natural for heterosexuals as Homosexuality is natural for homosexuals.

Now I'm sure Holly was cute as can be...but you didn't make a conscious choice to
try an kiss her instead of Billy, did you? No, you didn't, as you said it was Natural (for you and most of us).


*Since this seems to be such a passionate subject on the board,
I'll say again...I'm not promoting the gay lifestyle.*

So waht you're trying to say is, because I conform to nature, and that's natural to me, you think that I should "accept" the fact that homosexuality is "natural" to them?

Well sorry. I can't take that road. If it's "UNNATURAL", then it's UNNATURAL! No matter what color you want to paint it, or however you try and disguise it, it's still UNNATURAL.

And another thing, if "choose" to "defend" homosexuality, then yes, YOU ARE helping in PROMOTING the queer lifestyle.

Sometimes playing the devil's advocate doesn't get you anywhere Mr. P, except in bed with the devil.

 

[nakedemperor]

There are a bunch of results for "natural" on dictionary.com. These two seem to be conflicting in terms of the gay debate...

1 Present in or produced by nature: a natural pearl.

2 Conforming to the usual or ordinary course of nature: a natural death.

On the one hand, homosexuality is produced and present in nature. On the other hand, it doesn't comform to what is "ordinary". It is, in fact, abnormal in this regard. The conflicting definitions will lead to semantic debates, and have countless times on this message board, mostly ending up in anti-gays flaming, cursing, and calling people faggots. In order to avoid such unpleasantries, I think when you called something "natural" or "unnatural", you should qualify that statement.

E.G. Homosexuality is natural because it is found in the natural world, and not a phenomenon of conditioning or external social forces due to its presence in the animal kingdom.

E.G. Homosexuality is unnatural in the sense that it is not normal. It is the vast minority in terms of sexual orientation.

 

[Mr. P]

So waht you're trying to say is, because I conform to nature, and that's natural to me, you think that I should "accept" the fact that homosexuality is "natural" to them?

Accept what you will..facts are facts.

Well sorry. I can't take that road. If it's "UNNATURAL", then it's UNNATURAL! No matter what color you want to paint it, or however you try and disguise it, it's still UNNATURAL.

Unnatural to you, me and every other heterosexual...not to them.

And another thing, if "choose" to "defend" homosexuality, then yes, YOU ARE helping in PROMOTING the queer lifestyle.

All I'll defend is my opinion.

Sometimes playing the devil's advocate doesn't get you anywhere Mr. P, except in bed with the devil. 09-11-2004 05:25 PM

SHEeeeewwwwwwwwww....Sure am glad I'm not a Southern Baptist!

Now how about that question...When did you make that Choice?

BTW: Are you and William J. twins? He seems to hate anyone non-white and you seem to hate homosexuals.

 

[mattskramer]

There you go Naked, avoid all the stats. No matter what way you slice it homosexuality is a foolish and dangerous lifestyle choice.

Pale is completely right, just the fact that someone would choose to cavort with the same sex when they clearly have the decision making ability to not do it is clear indication of mental problems.

It is nice to see that you are still here and it looks as though you are still blabbering the same old argument.

Okay. Homosexuality is a foolish and dangerous lifestyle choice. So is being sexually promiscuous. So is leaving a wet bar of soap on the floor. So is smoking. So is eating a high cholesterol, low fiber diet. So is smoking. So, what is your point?

The fact that someone would choose to cavort with the same sex when they clearly have the decision-making ability to not do it is clear indication of mental problems. Would you say the same about those who choose to engage in poor diets and smoking? Perhaps those who choose to smoke need to see a psychiatrist.

Finally, when all is said and done, it is the individual's choice to make. As long as people are not really hurting you by force or fraud (and no – no one is forcing you to condone homosexuality to any greater extent than you are forcing people to condone heterosexuality) why not leave them alone. As for them needing help - like - if they want your help, oh great one, they'll ask you for help.

 

[007]

Unnatural to you, me and every other heterosexual...not to them.

Don't kid yourself Mr. P, it's unnatural to them too. They just pretend it's not by spinning it to suit their perversion.

All I'll defend is my opinion.

Nothing wrong with that.

Now how about that question...When did you make that Choice?

You see this is what queer defenders do. They try and put the moral majority on the "defense" by asking them questions that have no bearing on fags whatsoever. Don't be coy. I'm not going to play that game.

BTW: Are you and William J. twins? He seems to hate anyone non-white and you seem to hate homosexuals.

If I'm W.J.'s twin, then you're looking a whole lot like mattskarmer's twin. Have fun with that reputation...

 

[OCA]

Interesting thread...

Let me be clear here, I'm not defending Homosexuality as a lifestyle.

I think OCA has inadvertently hit the nail on the head with the following....


Key word here folks..."CHOOSE".

So what I'd like to know is this....Pale, OCA, Dave and the rest of you
that suggest or feel homosexuality is a choice that is made...
When did you guys make that "Conscious choice" to be Heterosexual?
How old were you, when you woke up that fine day and said....
hummm, I have a choice to make...which way shall I go?

Think about it.

We as humans do not make a conscious choice to cavort with the opposite sex, its as natural as the sun rising in the east, we all are attracted to the opposite sex, every single one of us. In the case of homosexuality one makes the conscious choice to cavort with the same sex even knowing how wrong it is, and yes we hve the option of not acting upon an attraction to a same sex partner, its that cut and dried.

 

[OCA]

It is nice to see that you are still here and it looks as though you are still blabbering the same old argument.

Okay. Homosexuality is a foolish and dangerous lifestyle choice. So is being sexually promiscuous. So is leaving a wet bar of soap on the floor. So is smoking. So is eating a high cholesterol, low fiber diet. So is smoking. So, what is your point?

The fact that someone would choose to cavort with the same sex when they clearly have the decision-making ability to not do it is clear indication of mental problems. Would you say the same about those who choose to engage in poor diets and smoking? Perhaps those who choose to smoke need to see a psychiatrist.

Finally, when all is said and done, it is the individual's choice to make. As long as people are not really hurting you by force or fraud (and no – no one is forcing you to condone homosexuality to any greater extent than you are forcing people to condone heterosexuality) why not leave them alone. As for them needing help - like - if they want your help, oh great one, they'll ask you for help.

LOL Matts! You are still on the same old ridiculous arguments. You know the definition of insanity is to keep trying the same thing over and over even though it never worked before.

 

[nakedemperor]

We as humans do not make a conscious choice to cavort with the opposite sex, its as natural as the sun rising in the east, we all are attracted to the opposite sex, every single one of us. In the case of homosexuality one makes the conscious choice to cavort with the same sex even knowing how wrong it is, and yes we hve the option of not acting upon an attraction to a same sex partner, its that cut and dried.

You're so adamant about this lie, OCA. I think the only possible motivation for your fervor is internal turmoil precipitated by denial of homosexuality.

 

[musicman]

OH, MY GOD, OCA - YOU'VE BEEN HIT WITH A POWERFUL BURST OF THE DREADED JARGON!!!!Shall I call for a medic?