Is homosexuality a form of mental illness?

When I answered a Yahoo!Answers question indicating that I believe it is, my answer was deleted, which I regard as grossly unfair.

Sexual desires that are unnatural are a mental illness...Pedophiles are sick no question about it so the real question is do you believe homosexuality is unnatural?

No, it's not a mental illness. Geez. Its like saying people who eat meat have a mental illness. Or people who drive blue cars. Its a PREFERENCE, not a sin, not mental illness.

No, it's not mental illness. It's a personal preference/choice. Scientists were trying to see if it was an illness in the past, but there's no evidence to prove that.

Is being an idiot a form of mental illness?

I believe that was in response to a question I asked, which, had you read it fully, was not asking that at all.

But I, unlike you, took the time to read the full question.

Lol, it is not a mental illness NOR is it a preference. You don't choose to be gay (not against your will) .. it's just genetics getting a little confused.

of course its not a mental illness
it is a state of mind whereby the person happens to be attracted to people of the same sex
there is nothing wrong with being a homosexual i have met plenty in my life and they are just the same as the straight people i have met (in many cases nicer)

Because its terribly insulting.
None of the present day psychologists diagnosis homosexuality as a mental illness.
You must have a strong religious bent to assume that it is, they are the only ones who cling to that.
If you regard an answer on Yahoo being deleted as grossly unfair, can you imagine how a homosexual feels to read that you think he or she is mentally ill?

no. it's not. stop being so ****** up

fu** off

therapists use a couple guidelines as to whether a behavior is okay or not. is it legal? being gay isnt illeagal. does it hurt anyone else? i dont see what two people do sexually in private hurts anyone. finally, does it hurt the patient? this is the one that can be a problem. if the patient sees themselves in a negative way because they are gay, then they have issues to adress. as long as they are happy with being gay, there wouldnt be any issues to adress.

no it isnt, gay people did not chose to be gay and straight people did not chose to be straight, it is just the way we all are.
everyone is different. it is not a mental illness

You should read R D Laing. Mental illness is all about perception - what we call mental illness, other societied and cultures would call normal. Homosexuality is not a mental illness, its just another segment of the rich tapestry of human-kind

That's what they thought a few hundred years ago.... maybe you're living in the wrong century.

And no, it's not a preference either, if you're gay, you were born that way.

Edit - this is something I feel very strongly about because I've seen one of my best friends suffer so much because of people like you.

Also, I am a Christian and I believe God loves everyone equally, and I truly believe the whole 'being gay is wrong/not natural etc' is man made. God created everyone how He wanted them to be, and being gay is not a lifestyle choice.

I think when people think you can choose your sexuality, they are getting confused with bisexuals, they haven't chosen to be bisexuals, but can, obviously, be attracted to either sex, so uninformed people think of it as a choice. Or even people who are gay who are so ashamed of it (also because of people like you), that try to deny it.

Ooh I won't be surprised if this question is removed...everyone different, feelings and beliefs I suppose lol I think I would be gay if I were a man cos my boyfriend means so much to me :D

I don't believe so, and think it's unfair that people would think that. You can't control who you are, you have choices but you really have no control over who you love. If your a man/woman do you mentally control the heart racing in your body when you see another person that makes you happy? Can you control when you are "Turned on" by that person... NOPE... I'm not gay, but my son is and he has shown signs since he was 4 years old. Did he control that at a young age? NO... You can't control who you are, you can make decisions to hiding your real self. That's why so many men/woman in an older age come out and state they knew they were gay, but was embarrased to admit it.

EDIT... thumbs down me all day long, but don't ask a question if you don't want to HEAR the real answer.

If you asked the religious lot they might say yes.
I think most people say live and let live.

phosters is a reasonable responce to a rather difficult question. I suppose we need to define a mental illness. self harm is a mental illness, is a likeing of womens shoes one or a phetish. depends on how you look at it. where does homosexuality fit into to this. it depends on how far and on what side of the fence you stand, if your a raving catholic ( another candidate for a mental illness?) then yes, if you have very liberal attitudes then no, but your political opinions don't matter as that was not the question and this is why i thought phosters was such a good answer. myself? i think it is more to do with nuture and not nature. i think it is a lot to do with the persons background and the enviroment they were brought up in. If the person is happy in there perception of there sexuality and are not harming themselves or others, then why should we care.

no way jose..... when are the ultra religious crowds, which some might say are brain washed, gonna stop taking the things they don't like and putting such taboo labels on them? being gay is not a mental illness

It's not a mental illness but unlike misery said, it is a sin. That being said, it's a choice.

LEARN TO ACCEPT PEOPLE FOR WHO THEY ARE.

Homosexuality used to be considered a mental illness many years ago until research showed that it wasn't and it was removed from the list. I'm a psychologist who has done some work in this area. There is very strong evidence to support that homosexuality is genetic.
Research has shown that a small area in the brain called the hypothalamus is smaller in homosexual men than in heterosexual men. This same area is also smaller in women than in men. It 's thought that the similarity in size of the hypothalamus in women and in homosexual men may explain the feminine manners in homosexual men and determine their sexuality.
It is not possible to 'choose' to have a difference in the physiology of the brain, therefore, homosexuality is not only not a mental illness but neither is it a preference or a choice.
It worries me that so many people think it is. Who in their right mind would 'choose' to be a member of a minority group often discriminated against and often beaten up by gay bashers?
Regarding your answer being deleted may not be unfair as it is your opinion, but then there are lots of people who would be offended by your answer so it was fair to delete it. You decide.
Next time you answer a question like that get your facts straight first.

Dellboy,
It is not a mental disease, it is a transgression to God's law, commonly known as sin.
God created man and woman to be with each other and science is trying to become a god by trying to prove what all the other answers here are saying.
Science has not been able to accomplish that because it is a lie. The fact of the matter is being that way is being in bondage to the greatest liar of all time, Satan.
Repent of your sin and become a new person through God's love.

God Bless,
Daniel

No, it is not a mental illness. Why would you think it was? Any distress caused by sexuality is usually a result of societal and cultural pressure rather than the simple fact of being homosexual, bi-sexual or whatever. It is a perfectly natural occurrence too, as homosexuality has been reported and observed in the animal kingdom as well as in humans. So there is not reason to think it is a condition of the mind at all. I am interested to know why you think it is.

It was once considered to be a mental illness but not for years. Even then that was due to a lack of understanding and people's beliefs more than anything else.

This is not a simple question.

However, there is at least one simple answer. The simple answer is no, homosexuality is not a mental illness.

The more complex answer is it was considered so at one point. Much to the shame (I believe) of the psychiatric profession, homosexuality was once a diagnosis in the official listing of diagnosis. This listing is called The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual. It is now in its 4th revision and there is no mention of homosexuality as a mental disorder there. However, earlier editions did include homosexuality as a diagnosis.

There are at least two important components to this that you might want to think about. One, governments in many countries have empowered mental health professionals with the authority to involuntarily hospitalize people. What that means is you can be locked up (for 3 days where I live) against your will for what you think. For example, if I could convince a psychiatrist that I was not just considering it, but was about to kill myself eventhough I had not actually done anything to cause me harm, s/he could put me away against my will. Could they do that if homosexuality were a diagnosis? Seems absurd. However, the difference between a person with suicidal thoughts and a person with homosexual thoughts lies along a continuum that is on a slippery slope. Have we not had enough experience with societies that lock people up for what they think to know that doing so diminishes everyone involved?

The second thing you should consider is the notion that humans are gay or straight. There is almost no data to support this idea. There are mounds of data (perhaps Kinsey's publications in the 50's being the most sensational) to support the idea that the straight among us are a bit gay and the gay are a bit straight.

Darn! Just when I was about to diagnose somebody, the complexities of the real world set in!

So, my friend, I encourage you to at least learn some more and update your thinking about this. Beyond that, if you find your approach to homosexuality is hurting someone-perhaps a co-worker or family member- you may want to address that. Good luck!

Dell Boy fromUK..... No it is not a mental illiness. It is something that is in the genes. I suppose if that were the case all us guys that have an 8 inch penis has a disease also right? Of course not. If your gay, your gay because that is how it is. Some chose the life style while others don't have a choice. People who have rude thing to say or want nothing to do with those who are gay are in more need of prayer. I will grant you that the gay community sometimes try to carry things to far with they gay parades, and wanting more and more. I believe people would treat them better, if they would learn to let things lie instead of trying to shove stuuff down our throats. I have nothing againt the gay community, but marriage is between a man and a wife, as God stated. No body can change Gods law to be politically correct. There is nothing wrong with living together a couples, and i will give all respect to those who do. And there is nothing wrong with being gay, but we don't have to be told how proud gays are. We can see that. Other wise lets stop juding , we are not the judge, and start loving each other, there is enough hate. Don't you agree? Good Luck!

No it isn't a mental illness. Are you some strange religious freak? Or maybe just a freak.

See around the nature, you will find only the opposite sex engaged with each other. This two type of sex has been made for the specific purpose. You can't deliver a child through male genital organ, neither this has been made like to carry a baby. Female has been given special room to keep the baby for more than nine months before delivery, prevented from inection. Intercourse with male means introducing in his dirty anal canal, containing faeces, dirty digested/undigeste things, bacteria to cause infection. Does not it look abnormal, unatural, perverted to you ?

no it is not and good

im bipolar, married with 3 kids. but when im manic i become a raging lesbian! so yes, i suppose it is a part of mental illness!!

Homosexualiy is actually when your DNA mutates - I remember learning about it in science. So when people say they can't help it, it is actually true!