CONVERSION THERAPY
There is no scientific evidence that conversion therapy can change one’s sexual orientation or gender identity
CONVERSION THERAPY
Conversion therapy, also referred to as reparative therapy, is the practice of attempting to change an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity using professionally discredited practices that can cause great harm, especially among youth. There is no scientific evidence that conversion therapy can change one’s sexual orientation or gender identity, and, in fact, it has been associated with increased rates of suicide, trauma, and lifelong mental health challenges. All U.S. professional associations of mental health professionals publicly oppose the use of conversion therapy.
According to researchers from the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law, approximately 698,000 LGBT adults in the U.S have received conversion therapy at some point in their lives, including about 350,000 who received it as adolescents.
Read more about research on Conversion Therapy and LGBT Youth from the Williams Institute at:
https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/publications/conversion-therapy-and-lgbt-youth/
CONVERSION THERAPY FACTS
An estimated 20,000 lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth ages 13 to 17 will undergo conversion therapy from a licensed health care professional before the age of 18 in states that do not ban this harmful practice
LGBT adolescents who experience parent-initiated conversion therapy with a therapist or religious leader are 5 times more likely to attempt suicide and nearly 4 times more likely to develop clinical depression compared to other LGBT youth
All primary U.S. associations of mental health professionals publicly oppose the use of conversion therapy including the American Medical Association, American Psychological Association, American Psychiatric Association, American Counseling Association, and National Association of Social Workers; including those associations specific to providers of mental health care to minors, including American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, American Academy of Pediatrics, and Society of Adolescent Health and Medicine