Describes the relationship between gay people and psychological experts and the struggle to define homosexuality.

In 1973, after several years of bitter dispute, the Board of Trustees of the American Psychiatric Association decided to remove homosexuality from its official list of mental diseases. Infuriated by the Board's action, a substantial number of dissident psychiatrists charged the association's leadership with capitulating to the pressures of Gay Liberation groups, and forced the board to submit its decision to a referendum of the full APA membership. Ronald Bayer presents a political analysis of the psychiatric battle involved, from the first confrontations organized by gay demonstrators at psychiatric conventions to the referendum initiated by orthodox psychiatrists. The result is a fascinating view of the individuals who led the debate and the fundamental questions that engaged them: social and cultural values, the definition of disease, and the nature of sexuality. Available for the first time in paperback, the book includes a new afterword by the author.

Interviews and first-hand accounts of an historic decision that affected the mental health profession—and American society and culture Through the personal accounts of those who were there, American Psychiatry and Homosexuality: An Oral History examines the 1973 decision by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) to remove homosexuality from its diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM). This unique book includes candid one-on-one interviews with key mental health professionals who played a role in the APA’s decision, those who helped organize gay, lesbian, and bisexual psychiatrists after the decision, and others who have made significant contributions in this area within the mental health field. American Psychiatry and Homosexuality presents an insider’s view of how homosexuality was removed from the DSM, the gradual organization of gay and lesbian psychiatrists within the APA, and the eventual formation of the APA-allied Association of Gay & Lesbian Psychiatrists (AGLP). The book profiles 17 individuals, both straight and gay, who made important contributions to organized psychiatry and the mental health needs of lesbian and gay patients, and illustrates the role that gay and lesbian psychiatrists would later play in the mental health field when they no longer had to hide their identities. Individuals profiled in American Psychiatry and Homosexuality include: Dr. John Fryer, who disguised his identity to speak before the APA’s annual meeting in 1972 on the discrimination gay psychiatrists faced in their own profession Dr. Charles Silverstein, who saw the diagnosis of homosexuality as a means of social control Dr. Lawrence Hartmann, who helped reform the APA and later served as its President in 1991-92 Dr. Robert J. Campbell, who helped persuade the APA’s Nomenclature Committee to hear scientific data presented by gay activists Dr. Judd Marmor, an early psychoanalytic critic of theories that pathologized homosexuality Dr. Robert Spitzer, who chaired the APA’s Nomenclature Committee Dr. Frank Rundle, who helped organize the first meeting of what would become the APA Caucus of Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Psychiatrists Dr. David Kessler, AGLP President from 1980-82 Dr. Nanette Gartrell, a pioneer of feminist issues within the APA Dr. Stuart Nichols, President of the AGLP in 1983-84 and a founding member of the Gay and Lesbian Psychiatrists of New York (GLPNY) Dr. Emery Hetrick, a founding member of both AGLP and GLPNY Dr. Bertram Schaffner, who was instrumental in providing group psychotherapy for physicians with AIDS Dr. Martha Kirkpatrick, a long-time leader in psychiatry and psychoanalysis, both as a woman and an “out” lesbian Dr. Richard Isay, the first openly gay psychoanalyst in the American Psychoanalytic Association Dr. Richard Pillard, best known for studying the incidence of homosexuality in families of twins Dr. Edward Hanin, former Speaker of the APA Assembly Dr. Ralph Roughton, the first openly gay Training and Supervising Psychoanalyst to be recognized within the American and International Psychoanalytic Associations American Psychiatry and Homosexuality presents the personal, behind-the-scenes accounts of a major historical event in psychiatry and medicine and of a decision that has affected society and culture ever since. This is an essential resource for mental health educators, supervisors, and professionals; historians; and LGBT readers in general.

Textbook of Homosexuality and Mental Health brings together in one volume the entire range of material and variety of perspectives concerning homosexuality and mental health. With more than 50 chapters written by leaders in the field, this book is the most complete review of the topics of homosexuality and mental health and treatment of gay men, lesbians, bisexuals, and transsexuals to date. Starting from the belief that homosexuality is a normal variation of human sexuality and not a mental illness, this revolutionary book presents current information on homosexuality from a mental health and medical perspective. Sections focus on demographic, cultural, genetic, biological, and psychological perspectives; development throughout the life cycle; relationships and families; psychotherapy; multicultural identities and communities; professional education; and medical care. A variety of special issues, such as sexuality, substance abuse, violence, suicide, religion, and HIV/AIDS, are discussed. Also included are several unique chapters that cover topics not readily available elsewhere, among them transsexuality; minority gay, lesbian, and bisexual people; the impact of the sexual orientation of the therapist; latency development in prehomosexual boys; and clinical issues specific to psychotherapy with gay, lesbian, and bisexual patients. The clinical and theoretical richness contained in this volume makes it an accessible and invaluable reference for clinicians and the general public alike. Chapters complement each other, while providing enough information to be useful if read on their own.

Over the last three decades, the visibility -- and public acceptance -- of self-identified lesbian women and gay men and bisexual and transgender individuals has increased dramatically, making it more important than ever to understand the dynamics of their relationships. This timely work, part of Volume 21 in the Review of Psychiatry series, offers compelling facts and insights in a concise yet comprehensive format, bringing together the latest research and clinical practice in this rapidly evolving field. Chapter 1 details normal adolescent development and the extra challenges imposed by the development of a sexual identity that is different from that of most of their peers, including the lack of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender role models. Chapter 2 presents a rare discussion about theoretical models (managing a concealable stigma, minority stress and resilience, and coping with multiple minority statuses) and empirical data on aging as a stigmatized sexual minority, including the similarities and differences of aging between the sexual minority communities and the heterosexual community and special issues in working with aging ethnic minority gay men, lesbians, and bisexual persons. Chapter 3 breaks new ground by detailing the expanding role of the psychiatrist or other mental health professional as forensic expert and therapist -- requiring not only an in-depth understanding of lesbian and gay mental health issues, but also the often-daunting task of encouraging and teaching judges and juries to better understand these issues as they relate to discriminatory laws in child custody/visitation, workplace harassment/other discrimination, domestic violence, and immigration/asylum. Chapter 4 covers both the three types of etiological theories on homosexuality presented in the scientific literature and an historical overview of clinical attitudes toward homosexuality, from early modern theories (Karl Ulrichs, Krafft-Ebing, and Freud) to the present day, reporting on some adverse side effects of sexual conversion treatment that have been either overlooked or ignored in the reparative therapy literature and raising important clinical and ethical concerns. Chapter 5 examines the public and professional evolution of thinking toward U.S. African race and toward sexual orientation with regard to the reevaluation of the psychiatric diagnosis and treatment of gender identity disorder. Among other topics, the author presents a fascinating discussion of differences between sexual orientation and gender (e.g., anatomical, social, hormonal, psychological, legal, or political), and distinctions between transgenderism and homosexuality, including an illuminating case example. Thought-provoking and informative, this compact volume will be welcomed by residents, clinicians, and students alike as they continue to look for ways to better differentiate health from pathology and successfully treat these remarkably diverse individuals.

And he focuses on the process by which individuals come to identify themselves as homosexual, the sensitivity of children to their own sexual identities, and the psychological effects of the stigmatization of homosexuality on adolescents.

In the candid language of personal case histories, including his own, Dr. Isay shows how disguising one's sexual identity can induce anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem.