There Are No Medications for "Gay Conversion Therapy" Because This Practice is Medically Invalid and Harmful
You should immediately cease any form of conversion therapy and instead provide affirming, supportive care to your patient.
Why Conversion Therapy Must Not Be Practiced
Medical and Professional Opposition
The American College of Physicians explicitly opposes the use of "conversion," "reorientation," or "reparative" therapy for LGBT persons 1.
Since 1973, homosexuality has not been considered an illness by the American Psychiatric Association, and all major medical and mental health organizations recognize it as a normal variation of human sexuality, not a disorder requiring treatment 1.
There is no scientific evidence supporting the efficacy of conversion therapy—a 2007 American Psychological Association review of 83 studies found serious methodological flaws in nearly all research, with the single adequately designed study showing no effect on same-sex behavior 1.
Documented Harms to Patients
Conversion therapy causes significant physical and mental harm, particularly to adolescents and young adults 2, 3.
LGBT youth rejected by families due to their sexual orientation (which conversion therapy reinforces) show dramatically increased rates of:
- Suicide attempts
- Depression
- Illegal drug use
- HIV and sexually transmitted infection risk 1
The practices employed in conversion therapy globally include electroshock therapy, aversive treatments, forced medication with anti-psychotics and hormones, physical abuse, isolation, and psychological torture 2.
Legal and Ethical Status
When performed forcibly or without genuine consent, conversion therapy constitutes cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or torture 2, 3.
Health professionals have an ethical obligation to take no role in attempting to control sexuality or supporting state-sponsored punishment of individuals based on sexual orientation 2.
What You Should Do Instead
Provide affirming mental health support that addresses any distress your patient experiences related to societal stigma, discrimination, or family rejection—not their sexual orientation itself.
Connect your patient with LGBT-affirming mental health resources and support groups.
Address any co-occurring mental health conditions (depression, anxiety) that may result from minority stress, discrimination, or previous harmful interventions.
Critical Caveat
Even Dr. Robert Spitzer, whose 2003 study was frequently cited by conversion therapy proponents, later denounced his own research as flawed and formally apologized to the LGBT community for the harm caused by misinterpretations of his work 1.