One in six British psychiatrists has tried to “cure” a gay patient, and some continue to mistreat their patients — even though ex-gay theories about sexual orientation have been disproven by mainstream research, and even though former ex-gays say that ex-gay “therapy” only worsens sexual temptation, depression, and unhealthy behavior.
According to The Independent:
A study of more than 1,400 psychiatrists and therapists in BMC Psychiatry found that 222 (17 per cent) said they had treated at least one client to alter their homosexual feelings at some point. The researchers expected the cases to be concentrated in the past, but the 400 to 500 cases recorded were distributed evenly across the decades. ‘It is happening up to the present moment,’ [Professor Michael King, of the University College Medical School] said. It might only be the ‘tip of the iceberg’.
Hat tip: Towle Road
Reuters reports:
[Michael King of University College London] and colleagues asked more than 1,400 therapists if they would try to change a patient’s sexual orientation if asked to do so.
Only 4 percent declared that they would. However, in response to further questions, one in six said that they had already tried to help patients control or change their sexual orientation through a range of therapies.
4 percent of 1,400 = about 56 therapists
In other words, it may be possible to conclude that of 222 therapists who at one time tried to “cure” their patients, 75 percent (about 166 therapists) determined that such efforts were ineffective, counterproductive, or harmful.
Their slogan should be: “I’m a therapist, not a miracle worker”.