Why isn't being gay considered a mental disorder?

Instead, it's an "alternative lifestyle". Well, then, why isn't alcoholism an alternative lifestyle? Why isn't drug addiction an alternative lifestyle? Why isn't shizophrenia an alternative lifestye? Be open minded and really think about this one.

what i really want to know is why everyone gets so defensive when you obviously aren't judging anyone by asking this question. why isn't it a valid question that can be discussed? this country is seriously getting stupider and stupider and yahoo answers is proof. if things can't be discussed because they aren't "politically correct" then what's the point of having freedom of speech?

i wonder the same thing all the time. does it mean i hate gay people? no. does it mean i'm not friends with gay people? no, i actually have lots of gay friends. and a lot of them would agree that there are tons of "causes" of homosexuality, and a lot of them aren't genetic at all. so what causes it, is it the same "gene" that causes pedophilia? and if so, why is pedophilia considered to be a "sickness?" i think it's a valid question, and who cares if you're being criticized by people who don't even understand the question you're asking. if you can't discuss issues on the internet, where can you discuss them?

Being human is a mental disorder it's time we all came to accept it.

Because it has become so socially accepted.

It used to be, and in my book, it is.

If your gay you're not mental, its your sexuality, it doesn't make you a mentalist!! You should really think about this one.

Its not mental..its genetic

Because people feel better about themselves when they claim to be egalitarian and pure when they ridicule those who think that Homosexuality is naturally and morally wrong.

People are born gay... it is not a lifestyle choice.

I agree, but I think that its all mental disorders. It goes against the laws of nature.

It was at one time.

That's a very good question, with some very valid points.

Being open minded in this case would definitely prove you wrong. Being gay is not a mental disorder, it is a sexuality. You saying that being homosexual is a mental disorder is like saying being hetrosexual is a mental disorder... It's really ridiculous that you would even ask this question. I'm not homosexual by any means but I do RESPECT their choice.

Why isn't being a bigoted neanderthal considered a mental disorder? Give me a break. Some people are born to be sexually attracted to their own sex. This happens in a lot of species, not just humans.

cause its not. its a choice. an illness is not a choice.

The American Psychiatric Association and the American Psychological Association voted in the 1970s to not consider being gay an illness. However, gay ppl who want to talk to a psychiatrist about how they feel about being gay can still do so. BTW, I'm not gay; I learned about this in a college course.

The crucial difference is this...

Alcoholism, drug addiction, and schizophrenia will shorten one's life in and of themselves.

Being gay will not shorten one's life in and of itself.

A mental disorder implies that something is wrong with a person, if you are implying there is something wrong with being gay then you are no better than any other prejudice prick out there.

Why isn't pedophilia and bestiality and incest an alternative lifestyle? I absolutely know where you're going with this. Sick isn't it? Where do you draw the line? I'm with you man.

because two women or men sleeping together is not going to kill you like alcohol or drugs will. Schizophrenia is not chosen either. How can you be so judgmental, why are you so great to be above criticism?
Its actually very funny though because while you are here obsessing about gay people, they are HAPPILY living their lives.
Do you wake up to a gay person, do they pay your bills, then why do you care?

Because anal sex is physical.

Simple: Being Gay is a 24/7 thing.

An alcholic is not drinking while he/she is sleeping.

A gay person is still gay while sleeping, eating, using the potty, etc.

I think that is not concidered a disorder because it is viewed as a choice in ones sexuality. Although alcohol and drug use are choice, there is a change in the way the brain functions when an individual becomes an addict. This change is what becomes the disorder. A person who chooses to be gay does not develop a dependency on it as an alcoholic or drug user does. This person can decide to stop acting on his impulses without any dependancy withdrawls created as his brain no longer receives this type of stimuli.

because there is no physical evidence (as of yet) to consider homosexuality a biological disorder.

if structure= function in biology where is the evidence

see LeVay's examination of the brain and Byne's criticism of said study.

Because it isn't a choice and it isn't destructive to anybody.

Addiction is a CHOICE, you CHOSE to drink alcohol/do drugs and continue to do it until you're addicted and/or dead.

Schizophrenia is a mental disorder because it is destructive to the people who have it and the people around them.

Homosexuality has no negative effects on homosexuals or their families, all homosexuality is is being attracted to the same gender. And if you're going to say AIDS as a negative effect, consider that heterosexuals can get AIDS just as easily as homosexuals.

Perhaps homosexuality is just natures way of controlling the population. It has been found in more species than just humans.

BEING GAY IS NOT WRONG. and it's not like "WE" choose to be gay. Just like you didn't choose to be straight.
>>>>>This is a really ignorant question.<<<<<

Alcohol=chemically imbalance your body
Drugs=chemically imbalance your body
Shizophrenia=an imbalance in your brain

See the trend here?

Yea being gay is not a "chemical" imbalance in ones body

We eat breath and funtion like you so called "normal" people.

WTF? is wrong with all you people saying it's wrong?

IT'S NOT OK SO DEAL WITH IT AND MOVE ON TO SOMETHING ELSE TO PICK ON LIKE POLITICS OR WAR OR SOMETHING...

I appreciate your perspective and admire your eloquence. In my opinion, homosexuality is not a mental disorder because it causes no harm. With alcoholism, drug addiction, and schizophrenia, there are definite negative consequences such as lack of control often leading to regretful behaviour. I don't profess that drug addicts, alcoholics, and shizophrenics can't be successful, contributing members of society, however, in most cases their conditions limit them to some degree. In the case of homosexuals, there are no real negative consequences other than those imposed by the less tolerant members of society. Homosexuals are not enslaved by circumstances which impact their cognitive abilities (unlike someone who is afflicted by drunkeness, being high, or confused) and can therefore function in a rational and self-aware fashion. Don't get me wrong, I recognise that homosexuals can often be victims of prejudice, intolerance, and narrow-mindedness, but at least they have the intellectual capacity to overcome these challenges.

That's the way of the world... What once was sin, and or illegal, eventually gets renamed a mental illness, and then an alternative lifestyle, and then a societal norm.

Being gay has been around for almost as long as being strait has. That's really the big reason. It was always around...not always accepted though(depends on where you go in the world). It was always around...that has a lot to do with it I think. Mental disorders have...but they haven't. That's why they aren't accepted as an alternative lifestyle.

When someone is schizophrenic...in the old days(really old days) they may have been considered a witch or something of the sort. No one talked about it...so no one really knew that mental disorders even existed back then. They were either possesed by an evil spirt..a witch...and the list goes on. Something wasn't wrong with them...it WAS them. Because it WAS them...it was never accepted. I don't know if you quite get that...but.... That's my reasoning for it.

This is just my thoughts...this isn't like the for sure truth of why. It seems to make alot of sense though....to me anyway.

because you're BORN that way!! Being gay does not harm anyone..shame on you for putting it in the same catagory as drugs and alcohol!!! Ok, open mind? Well, then why isn't being straight a mental disorder too? Drug abuse and alcohol abuse is a far cry from your sexual orientation....

why isn't being a guy considered a mental disorder? Oh, GAY! SORRY I am dyslexic.