Textbook of Homosexuality and Mental Health [Hardcover]

Robert P. Cabaj (Editor), Terry S. Stein (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 088048716X | ISBN-13: 978-0880487160 | Publication Date: April 1996 | Edition: 1

Textbook of Homosexuality and Mental Health brings together in one volume the entire range of material and variety of perspectives concerning homosexuality and mental health. With more than 50 chapters written by leaders in the field, this book is the most complete review of the topics of homosexuality and mental health and treatment of gay men, lesbians, bisexuals, and transsexuals to date. Starting from the belief that homosexuality is a normal variation of human sexuality and not a mental illness, this revolutionary book presents current information on homosexuality from a mental health and medical perspective. Sections focus on demographic, cultural, genetic, biological, and psychological perspectives; development throughout the life cycle; relationships and families; psychotherapy; multicultural identities and communities; professional education; and medical care. A variety of special issues, such as sexuality, substance abuse, violence, suicide, religion, and HIV/AIDS, are discussed. Also included are several unique chapters that cover topics not readily available elsewhere, among them transsexuality; minority gay, lesbian, and bisexual people; the impact of the sexual orientation of the therapist; latency development in prehomosexual boys; and clinical issues specific to psychotherapy with gay, lesbian, and bisexual patients. The clinical and theoretical richness contained in this volume makes it an accessible and invaluable reference for clinicians and the general public alike. Chapters complement each other, while providing enough information to be useful if read on their own.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"[T]his is a well-written, up-to-date, and comprehensive volume that will serve as a valuable reference in the field for many years."-- "Readings: A Journal of Reviews and Commentary in Mental Health"

About the Author

Robert Paul Cabaj, M.D., is a psychiatrist, certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, with many years of clinical experience specializing in the treatment of gay men, lesbians, bisexuals, and people facing issues related to HIV and AIDS. He is an Associate Clinical Professor in Psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco, and certified in Addiction Medicine by the American Society of Addiction Medicine. He served as Medical Director of Mental Health and Addictions for the Fenway Community Health CenterÂthe largest center for the treatment of gay men, lesbians, bisexuals, and the HIV-infected in Boston, Massachusetts. He has been President of both the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association and the Association of Gay and Lesbian Psychiatrists. Within the American Psychiatric Association, he has served as Chairperson of both the Committee on Minority and Under-Represented Groups and the Committee of Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Issues, as the Deputy Representative for the Caucus of Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Psychiatrists to the Assembly of the American Psychiatric Association (APA), and as a member of the Commission on AIDS, the Council on Addiction Psychiatry, and the Council on National Affairs. Terry S. Stein, M.D., a board-certified psychiatrist, is a Professor in Psychiatry and Director of the AIDS Education Project at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan. He has received numerous federal, state, and university grants and contracts for education of health care providers about HIV/AIDS and for research concerning the mental health needs of gay men and lesbians. A Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, he has served as Chair of the APAÂs Committee on Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Issues, Chair of the Council on National Affairs, and a consultant to the Council on International Affairs. Dr. Stein is currently Associate Editor of the Journal of Gay and Lesbian Psychotherapy. He is Past President of the Association of Gay and Lesbian Psychiatrists.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 1034 pages
• Publisher: American Psychiatric Press; 1 edition (April 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 088048716X
• ISBN-13: 978-0880487160
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.6 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,997,818 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A comprehensive resource, March 6, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Textbook of Homosexuality and Mental Health (Hardcover)

By positing homosexuality as a normal variance from heterosexuality and apparently agreeing with the official medical stand that being gay isn't a mental illness, editors Robert Cabaj and Terry Stein may also be debunking Masters' and Johnsons' opinion in the 1950's that being homosexual and lesbian is a choice. That may well be the most controversial issue in this comprehensive, amazingly detailed resource for just about any and all questions about homosexuality. Addressed essentially to the professionals whose work brings them into contact with gays and lesbians, we get a fairly extensive history of homosexuality and its relationship to the mental health profession, from its early days when it was thought to be "curable" by treatment to the 1973 decision that removed it as a psychiatric disorder, then to contemporary issues. Along the way, though, diverse dynamics such as genetics, demographics, environmental cues, psychological and pre-determinant factors, substance addiction, violence, suicide, religion and, of course, AIDS are thoroughly dissected. Further, the editors even include issues unique to bisexuals and minority gays, subjects that have generated little serious published discussion. This book is not and does not pretend to be for casual reading and, instead, targets mental health, medical and religious providers. But it should also be required of the judiciary whose judges still continue to sentence gays charged with various offensives perceived as sexual in nature to counseling and therapy because they gay, a contradiction to the official psychiatric line that homosexuality is not a mental illness. For anyone shuffling through the mountain of books about homosexuality (most of which advance "cures" and religion as getting on the straight and narrow) but not interested in opinion and pontificating, this is the one excellent resource to consult with questions that require little more than "yes" and "no" answers. Incredibly, it gives us answers to questions we might not think even exist.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Required reading for all helping professionals, April 14, 2000

By 

Suzanne Weatherman (Springfield, Missouri) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Textbook of Homosexuality and Mental Health (Hardcover)

I checked this book out from the library and realized right away that I had to have a copy of my own to refer to over and over in the coming years. I'm a graduate student studying to become a counselor. Through the course of my studies I have continually been amazed and disappointed at how little knowledge most people in the helping professions have about homosexuality. With about 10% of the population being gay, lesbian, or bisexual, this textbook should be self-required reading by all those in the helping fields - psychiatrists, psychologists, counselors (both secular and religious), sociologists, doctors, nurses, and so on. This amazing text starts with the early history of homosexuality and the mental health profession, ends with spirituality and religion in the lives of lesbians and gay men and thoroughly addresses every other important issue in between. This book is a giant leap forward in the desparately needed advancement in education concerning homosexuality and mental health in this country.