Medical views of conversion therapy

Many health organizations around the world have denounced and criticized sexual orientation and gender identity change efforts.^[1][2][3] National health organizations in the United States have announced that there has been no scientific demonstration of conversion therapy's efficacy in the last forty years.^[4][5][6][7] They find that conversion therapy is ineffective, risky and can be harmful. Anecdotal claims of cures are counterbalanced by assertions of harm, and the American Psychiatric Association, for example, cautions ethical practitioners under the Hippocratic oath to do no harm and to refrain from attempts at conversion therapy.^[6]

Mainstream medical bodies state that conversion therapy can be harmful because it may exploit guilt and anxiety, thereby damaging self-esteem and leading to depression and even suicide.^[8] There is also concern in the mental health community that the advancement of conversion therapy can cause social harm by disseminating inaccurate views about gender identity, sexual orientation, and the ability of LGBTQ people to lead happy, healthy lives.^[2]