Mental Health Impact of Conversion Therapy
Conversion therapy is an umbrella term for several methods intended to change one's sexual orientation or gender identity through psychological or spiritual intervention. It has been widely discredited by medical professionals as having little scientific basis and being harmful to those who undergo it.
There are still practitioners that claim to be able to "cure" LGBTQIA+ individuals, particularly among religious groups that teach homosexuality is sinful. This paper will discuss the long-term mental health impacts of conversion therapy, focusing on age, duration, and intensity of experience.
Let's look at how age can affect the outcome of conversion therapy. Research shows that younger people are more vulnerable to its negative effects because their brains are still developing, making them more susceptible to suggestion and less capable of resisting external influence. Younger participants may also have a harder time understanding what they are experiencing, which can lead to confusion and distress. In contrast, older adults may have already established strong identities and social networks, reducing the likelihood that they would accept the therapist's message. Age could explain why some studies find higher rates of depression in youth after conversion therapy, while others report greater anxiety in adulthood.
Duration of treatment may also play a role. The longer someone participates in conversion therapy, the more likely they are to internalize the negative messages about themselves and develop self-hatred or shame. They may even come to believe they deserve the therapy, leading to feelings of guilt and hopelessness.
If parents force their children into therapy for years, this can cause emotional trauma that lasts well beyond the end of treatment. A recent study found that transgender individuals who underwent conversion therapy had significantly worse mental health outcomes than those who did not, suggesting that prolonged exposure to these methods can be particularly damaging.
The intensity of the experience should be considered. Intensive programs often include isolation, forced celibacy, religious rituals, and physical exercises like touch starvation or aversion techniques. These tactics can create intense discomfort, fear, and humiliation that may leave lasting psychological scars.
Some people report flashbacks, nightmares, or PTSD symptoms related to their conversion therapy experiences. It is important to note that all forms of conversion therapy involve coercion and manipulation, which can lead to long-term effects on trust, intimacy, and relationships.
What are the long-term mental health implications of undergoing conversion therapy, and how do these effects interact with age, duration, and intensity of the experience?
Conversion therapy is a controversial practice that involves using various methods to change an individual's sexual orientation from homosexual or bisexual to heterosexual. The mental health impact of this type of treatment has been widely debated and studied, but its long-term consequences remain unclear.