A curriculum for learning in psychiatric residencies about homosexuality, gay men, and lesbians

Homosexuality was redefined by the American Psychiatric Association in 1973 as a variation in sexual orientation rather than a mental illness, and recent research has greatly expanded knowledge about homosexuality, gay men, and lesbians. However, generally speaking, neither a non pathological perspective nor this new information has been integrated into psychiatric residency curricula. This absence compromises the ability of residency programs to train residents to be broadly competent in dealing with issues related to these topics. Learning about homosexuality, gay men, and lesbians should be integrated into all psychiatric residencies, and a curriculum to serve as a basic model for this necessary professional training is proposed.