California has become the first US state to ban unfounded therapies that attempt to turn gay teenagers straight.
鈥淭hese practices have no basis in science or medicine and they will now be relegated to the dustbin of quackery,鈥� said state governor in a . He signed a bill outlawing the therapies on 29 September.
Brown鈥檚 conclusions are in line with those reached a few years ago by a task force of psychologists who were commissioned by the to assess . The group, led by Judith Glassgold, found no evidence that the treatment was effective.
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鈥淭he scientific evidence does not support such therapies,鈥� says Clinton Anderson, director of the APA鈥檚 Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Concerns office.
鈥淭hey were not helpful and could be harmful,鈥� says Glassgold, who is based in Washington DC. 鈥淢ost people became more depressed and anxious, and could become suicidal.鈥�
鈥淯sually these talk therapies are based on the assumption that homosexuality is a mental illness caused by poor parenting and confused gender roles,鈥� she adds. 鈥淭hey attempt to explain that to the patient, and try to get them to act and behave in a heterosexual manner.鈥�
Conversion therapies
It鈥檚 unclear exactly how many teenagers will be affected by the ruling. The most recent research into the prevalence of these 鈥渃onversion therapies鈥� was conducted in the UK in 2009. A survey of 1300 psychotherapists revealed that 1 in 6 had attempted to treat homosexuality in the past, and 4 per cent said they would do so again (, DOI: 10.1186/1471-244X-9-11).
鈥淲e believe that in some religious circles, for example evangelical Christians in the US, it may be higher,鈥� says Glassgold.
Some organisations oppose the ruling. The California-based claims that the bill鈥檚 intent is to 鈥溾��.
But such groups form the minority opinion. Even Robert Spitzer, the psychiatrist behind one of the most influential studies backing the 鈥渢herapies鈥�, admitted his work was fatally flawed earlier this year. He went on to issue an apology to the gay community.
鈥淲e understood the methodological problems from the beginning, but many people, primarily through conservative and religious media, did make a lot of the study,鈥� says Anderson.
Glassgold鈥檚 task force suggest that there are other, evidence-based approaches to helping teenagers deal with any conflict between their sexual orientation and religious beliefs. Therapies that involve teaching coping strategies and encouraging family members to be supportive are much more beneficial, the team concluded.
Glassgold thinks that California鈥檚 ruling is merely a first step, and that more needs to be done. 鈥淭hese therapies exist because there is demand for them. We have to do more to end stigma,鈥� she says. 鈥淔undamentally, homosexuality is not a mental illness, and you don鈥檛 need a treatment to fix it.鈥�
