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THE PSYCHOLOGICAL SOCIETY of Ireland has said it is disappointed that there are still questions being raised in public forums about conversion therapies, a practice it says has no place in modern society.
The main representative body for psychologists in Ireland said it was issuing advice in light of recent public commentary on conversion therapy, which refers to any form of psychological intervention which aims to change a person’s sexual orientation.
The PSI President Ian O’Grady said that to call it ‘therapy’ is an affront to the work that psychologists do and “adds a layer of validity to it that’s not deserved”.
It’s disappointing that there are still questions being raised in public forums as to what the evidence for conversion therapy is when it is absolutely clear that there is no credible evidence and it should be confined to the annals of history as bad practice.
The PSI said there is clear and empirical evidence that conversion therapy does not work, and significant evidence that it is also inherently harmful. A position that is agreed by professional organisations worldwide Such as the United Nations Committee Against Torture as well as the European Parliament.
O’Grady said in a statement that the practice or even endorsement of conversion therapy gives legitimacy to the notion that one’s sexual orientation is wrong and needs to be changed.
First and foremost, a person’s sexual orientation is not, and should not, be viewed as a mental health disorder that requires psychological intervention.
O’Grady added that there is significant evidence that societal prejudice causes psychological harm to the LGBT community.
“Our focus as a society should be on reducing prejudices and not on practices that have no evidence of benefit and have evidence of harm.”
Last week, Senator Rónán Mullen suggested in the Seanad that people should have the option to engage in conversion therapy unless it is proven to be harmful.
“I do not know enough about it at this stage but if it can be demonstrated that this is harmful to people, there is a very good case to make it unlawful. If it cannot be shown to be harmful to people, we are back into the realm of individual choice,” Mullen said.
Mullen said he was responding to the issue raised by Sinn Féin Senator Fintan Warfield who previously launched legislation to ban conversion therapy in Ireland.
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Only seemed like yesterday the values were through the floor. I emigrated during the big crash and bought property/set up shop in another country. Now I’m a happy homeowner & landlord. A fair landlord. This housing stuff in Ireland really saddens me. There will prob be a twin tier society over it. People with financial power will overpay. People without financial power will struggle so badly to live. And live in horrible conditions. Very sad. Emigrating was the hardest decision I ever made. But I’m glad I did. Previous comment is correct. Boom bust is common in some places. Usually places rich in natural resources like oil etc. But it’s not something that that suits the Irish economy. Start building high rises could be the solution here
@Ronan McDermott: well said, not convinced about high rises but you are asking the questions no one wants to answer. Fair play.
@Greedylocks: I hear you about the highrises. Ballymun didn’t work out. But on a small island you can’t always build out. Maybe time to build up. Especially in Dublin. Give people somewhere respectable to live and then you’ll see the real value of these 70s style dumps that landlords are currently renting to people at extortionate rates. The value would be sfa. I’m thinking about quality of life here. As right now it’s not very good for so so many people
@Ronan McDermott: well said.
This is an extraordinary misleading economical model. We are in a cycle of boom and bust. Eventually nobody will risk lending this country money. Vulture funds are gathering to pick the bones.
@Greedylocks: the neoliberal model can only produce boom bust cycles, where the wealthy get wealthier as money is siphoned to the top. So they can ride out the storm, unless they fail to save for the inevitable crash, and those at the bottom pay the consequences. A model based on permanent growth on a planet with finite resources, what could possibly go wrong????
@Greedylocks: the neoliberal model can only produce boom bust cycles, where the wealthy get wealthier as money is siphoned to the top. So they can ride out the storm, unless they fail to save for the inevitable crash, and those at the bottom pay the consequences. A model based on permanent growth on a planet with finite resources, what could possibly go wrong????
A model based on exploiting human vulnerabilities through advertising, and serving the market, always a volatile thing, so that the market will meet all our needs. We see the failure of it all around us and blindly elect the same parties with the same policies to do the same thing again and again as if this one time it might work…….
This has been years in the making by our FG whose primary mission has been to recapitalise the banks. The homeless crisis and the unaffordability of houses is barely a thorn in the side for them.
@Quiet Goer: Surely you mean FFG .. Media not telling the true story again at local elections as FFG lose more and more ground. The people are slowly awakening….
@Willy: sf lost the most ground
We are bubbling our way to another bust.
Note that property investment trusts are selling out now to cash in at the top of the market.
These guys know when to cash in their chips.
@William Kelly: you are correct I’m afraid we will be heading for another slump , housing prices cannot keep going up and up.
It’s only in Dublin though, most of the rest of the country are still below 2013 levels
a housing bubble inflated by the European central bank policy to give money to the banks for free. we on the other hand must pay interest on that loan and the banks make money by doing nothing.
who here knows anything about Deusch Bank?
people wanna get smart very quick to what is going on again……2007
Kensington in London, Upper East side in New York, 6th arrondissement in Paris. These Dublin prices are here to stay. It’s nothing to do with ‘neo-liberal’ policies. It’s to do with supply and demand. Why can the hard left never understand this ?
@Virgil: that’s what they said last time…..
@Gus Sheridan: even with a bust, Mt Merrion, Foxrock et al will still be the priciest housing in the country
Anyone know how many in government own second properties?
@thesaltyurchin: 15 landlords sit in the dail at any given day,but I could be wrong,FG k o Connell has 8 property’s .
Our wonderful banks must be approaching solvency so.
have your say