• Posted October 1, 2024

Bogus 'Conversion Therapy' Leads to Higher Risk of Mental Illness for LGBT People

Besides being useless in altering a person's sexuality or gender identity, so-called "conversion therapy" or "conversion practice" can greatly raise the odds that an LGBT person experiences mental health issues, new research finds.

Questionnaires completed by over 4,400 LGBTQ+ Americans found that having undergone these bogus interventions was linked to higher rates of depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and suicidal thoughts or attempts.

“Our findings add to a body of evidence that shows conversion practice is unethical and linked with poor mental health," said study lead author Dr. Nguyen Tran, of Stanford University School of Medicine. 

"Protecting LGBTQ+ people from the impacts of these harmful practices will require multi-pronged legislation, including state and federal bans," Tran added. "Additional measures such as support networks and targeted mental health support for survivors are also vital."

The findings were published Sept. 30 in The Lancet Psychiatry journal.

Conversion therapy is any kind of formal, structured effort to alter a person's sexuality or gender identification, often employing psychological, behavioral, physical and faith-based practices. 

Most respected professional medical and mental health organizations are opposed to the practice, although it's still offered at sites throughout the United States.

Anywhere from 4% to 34% of LGBTQ+ American children and adults may have been subjected to conversion practices, according to a Lancet news release.

The data used in the new study came from the ongoing PRIDE study, which has been tracking the health of LGBTQ+ people across America. About 57% identified as cisgender and 43% identified as transgender. Ages ranged from 18 to 34, with the average age being 31.

In total, 149 (3.4%) of those questioned had experienced conversion therapy focused on altering their sexual orientation, 43 (1%) had undergone practices targeting gender identity, and 42 (1%) reported both, the researchers reported.

Risk factors for having undergone conversion practices included having a religious upbringing and/or being brought up in a community that didn't support issues around gender identity, being from a minority group and having a lower level of education.

Conversion therapy aimed at changing a person's sexual orientation was most often delivered by a religious leader or group (52% of the time) or a mental health provider or organization (29%). Similar trends were seen for conversion practices aimed at gender identity.

"The highest levels of anxiety, depressive and PTSD symptoms were reported by participants who recalled conversion practice for gender identity alone," the researchers said.

However, folks who'd undergone conversion practices for both their sexuality and gender identity had the highest levels of suicidality, the team reported.

Conversion practices are definitely not in the mainstream of medical practice, said Dr.  Jack Drescher, a clinical professor of psychiatry at Columbia University Medical Center, in New York City.

Writing in an accompanying commentary, he said that "mainstream mental health organizations need to do a better job of regulating the activities of those outlier, licensed clinicians who engage in conversion practices."

Drescher added that, "professional organizations’ ethical guidelines should mirror and integrate the wider world’s changing cultural beliefs and values regarding the growing acceptance of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities.”

More information

Find out more about the pitfalls of conversion therapies at the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

SOURCE: The Lancet Psychiatry, news release, Sept. 30, 2024