ATTITUDE MATTERS!!

Volume 5 Issue 13 Jan 2015

Homosexuality, even though removed from diagnostic criteria of psychiatry long back, it still remains a topic of curiosity & prejudice in health professionals including mental health professionals. Patients with alternate sexuality face problems of societal, religious and individual attitudes towards them. This column is focused on various attitudes towards homosexuality.

->ATTITUDE TOWARDS OWN SEXUALITY –

Homophobia (from Greek homós: one and the same; phóbos: fear, phobia) is defined as an irrational fear of, aversion to, or discrimination against homosexuality or homosexuals, or individuals perceived to be homosexual.

INTERNALIZED HOMOPHOBIA / EGODYSTONIC HOMOPHOBIA – It refers to homophobia as a prejudice carried by individuals against homosexual manifestations in themselves and others. It causes severe discomfort and disapproval of one’s own sexual orientation. Internalized homophobia is thus a form of cognitive dissonance.

->ATTITUDE OF SOCIETY –

Any behaviour against the mainstream of society ( i.e. heterosexuality) is considered as abnormal or disapproved by society. Heterosexism is an ideological system that denies, maligns & stigmatizes any non-heterosexual form of behavior, identity, relationship or community.

->ATTITUDES IN EDUCATIONAL SETUP –

Homophobic bullying is common in educational setup. Boys are stereotyped as sporty and strong decision makers while girls are expected to be emotional and expressive. As a result, boys who show their feelings or who are too intimate with other boys are often called ‘girls’ or ‘poofs’. Girls who are considered to be too boyish or who hold feminist views run the risk of being called ‘dykes’ or ‘lesbians. As per western literature, almost half of sexual minority youth report experiencing harassment or violence in school; 1/3 report missing school out of fear for personal safety.

->ATTITUDES AT EMPLOYMENT—

Negative attitudes towards homosexuality can result in work place discrimination- which could be formal/informal, perceived/real, potential/encountered.

->RELIGIOUS ATTITUDES –

Homosexuality is viewed as prohibitions, sin and ‘perversions’ in all the major religions thorough out the world.

->LEGAL ATTITUDE –

There are examples and reports of a negative attitude by police personnel towards homosexuality. Various legal actions include arbitrary arrest, detention, physical violence, verbal abuse, intimidation, extortions. Problems, ambiguity and lacunae related to legal rights exist and no clear cut guidelines or separate provisions for homosexual’s legal rights.

->ATTITUDES OF HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS –

Majority have negative, stigmatization attitude leading to malicious gossip by hospital staff. Many consider homosexuality to be associated with mental illness or dysfunction (by health care providers apart from mental health professional) but concept is changing nowadays. Therapist may attempt to change a person’s sexual orientation (also tried doing so under pressure of relatives of homosexual individuals). Disapproval, discrimination, insensitivity, abusive treatment could also be reported.

As a mental health professional, this is an attempt to increase awareness about our own attitude towards alternate sexuality and to change it to deliver effective mental health care to this section of society who needs it equally.