Gay and lesbian issues in u.s. Psychiatry training as reported by residency training directors

This study reports the results of a survey of U.S. residency training directors that explored the training milieu of gay and lesbian psychiatric residents. Of the 198 training directors surveyed, 134 (67.7%) completed the questionnaire. All but four of the directors reported the inclusion of gay and lesbian issues in the curriculum, most frequently in PGY-3. Using a 5-point rating scale, 47.3% reported that homosexuality was regarded at their programs as "normal" or "somewhat normal," 51.2% as "neutral," and 1.5% as "somewhat pathological" or "pathological." In general, the directors' overall assessment of departmental attitudes about homosexuality paralleled the findings previously reported by lesbian and gay residents, with some discrepancy concerning the disclosure of sexual orientation to psychotherapy patients. In the earlier study, nearly one-third of gay and lesbian residents reported such disclosure; in the current study, only three training directors (2.5%) regarded this practice favorably. The results of the present study reflect the diversity of opinion found among residency training directors on the topic of gay and lesbian issues.