LGBT activists call for diagnosis reforms

Beijing's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community Wednesday at a symposium called for amendments that would stop classifying homosexuals and bisexuals who are conflicted about their sexuality as suffering from a mental disorder.

At the site of the third Congress of the Asian College of Neuropsychopharmacology, a symposium discussing the latest developments in mental disorder research, volunteers from the Beijing LGBT center held banners reading "we need your support to remove ego-dystonic homosexuality and bisexuality from CCMD-3" and handed out leaflets.

CCMD-3 refers to the third edition of the Chinese Classification of Mental Disorders, which was published in 2001.

It states that homosexuals and bisexuals who refuse to admit their sexual preference feel anxious - a state defined as ego-dystonic sexuality - and that this anxiety represents a kind of mental disorder.

"If the CCMD needs to class ego-dystonic sexuality as a kind of mental disorder, it should not single out homosexuals and bisexuals. Heterosexuals may also have these problems," Mali, a volunteer from the Beijing LGBT Center, told the Global Times.

Mali also pointed out that the anxiety and depression endured by LGBT members are mostly caused by the pressure from the society.

A psychiatrist, who declined to be named, said that China will not formulate a new classification of mental disorders, and is planning to adopt the ICD-10 (the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems 10th Revision) issued by the World Health Organization and use DSM-5 (the fifth edition of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) by the US as a reference.

The ICD-10 notes that "sexual orientation by itself is not to be regarded as a disorder" under the category of "psychological and behavioral disorders associated with sexual development and orientation."

A psychiatrist surnamed Du, from the Suzhou Guangji Hospital, told the Global Times that pressure from society on LGBT people is a factor, but also noted that some LGBT people feel depressed because they are in the minority, as most people in society are heterosexual.

"We still need to pay special attention to the LGBT group as they may face more difficulties in the society and the LGBT group may encounter more psychological problems or even mental problems," Du added.

Lily, a volunteer from Beijing LGBT Center, said that she felt optimistic about the future of China's LGBT group, as she feels the younger generation of psychiatrists are usually open-minded.