Mental Health Issues in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Communities Paperback - 2002

From the jacket flap

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 related to these four distinct communities.

In just five chapters, eight experts discuss normal development in sexual minority youth; three theoretical models regarding aging and sexual orientation; the expanding role of the mental health professional in the courtroom as forensic expert and therapist in child custody/visitation, workplace harassment/other discrimination, domestic violence, and immigration/asylum cases; an historical overview of clinical attitudes toward homosexuality, reporting on little-known adverse side effects of sexual conversion treatment and raising important clinical and ethical concerns about "reparative" therapy; and the intersection of race, sexual orientation, and gender identity in transgender mental health, including (among other topics) a fascinating discussion of distinctions between sexual orientation and gender, and an illuminating case example of transgenderism and homosexuality.

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.