Vol , Issue
Date of Publication: October 01, 2012
DOI: https://doi.org/10.20529/IJME.2012.101
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Letters
Pathologising alternate sexuality: shifting psychiatric practices and a need for ethical norms and reforms
Abstract:
Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, criminalising consensual sexual activity between adults of the same sex, was framed during the British Raj and continued to govern Indian sexual relations until very recently. This law seems to reflect societal attitudes towards alternate sexualities. Such attitudes can affect the self-esteem and quality of life of people in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) community who may then seek help from mental health professionals. Unfortunately, psychiatry has a history of pathologising homosexuality
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©Indian Journal of Medical Ethics 2016: Open Access and Distributed under the Creative Commons license ( CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), which permits only non-commercial and non-modified sharing in any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are credited.