Patient Sexual Orientation on Diagnosis Since DSM-IV

¶ … Patient Sexual Orientation on Diagnosis Since DSM-IV

Since the creation of DSM-IV as a diagnostic tool, whether or not a patient is homosexual has affected their diagnosis. Whether or not this should be so is a discussion for another day, but why it is so is a more pressing question which needs to be answered. Concerns that many people are not getting the proper clinical diagnosis simply because they have a sexual orientation that varies from what is considered normal are likely not unfounded. In order to determine whether or not this effect on their diagnosis is detrimental, or even legitimate, it will be necessary to examine not only the history of clinical diagnosis, but how homosexuals are treated by psychologists in the present day.

The intent of this paper is to examine the available literature on this topic in several different ways in order to obtain a clear understanding of how sexual orientation affects psychological diagnosis. The discussion will first encompass the history of psychological diagnosis in general, and then move on into more specific areas. Homosexuality was originally a diagnosis, and eventually it was removed from the DSM. There was a rationale for this, and in order to understand the true nature of the problem now, it will be necessary to point out the reasons for the removal of homosexuality as a clinical diagnosis.

Once the history and background has been thoroughly laid out, the paper will continue with a literature review on homosexuality. Among the discussions found in the reviewed documents will be etiology, attitudes and biases that the general population has poured homosexual individuals, and attitudes and biases within the religious community. Finding literature on this topic should not be difficult because it is generally thought to be common knowledge that many people, both lay and religious, have definite opinions as to whether or not homosexual individuals are 'normal.' While homosexuality is more accepted than it used to be, many individuals still see it as some type of psychological disease or condition, and would likely expected it to be listed as a clinical diagnosis option for psychologists.

Treatment of homosexuality by psychologists will also be covered in the literature review. Not only diagnosis, but reparative treatments and other options will also be discussed. This is important due to the fact that the treatment of homosexuality has changed greatly over the years, and it is necessary to understand how psychology has moved from feeling that homosexuality is a problem to be fixed, to recognizing it as an actual ' normal' state of being for some people. Research on clinician bias will be examined as well, and in order to understand the true biases toward homosexuals, racial bias will be used as a comparative. This will help to show the degree of bias that clinicians have toward homosexuals in relation to other minority groups.