Dubious ‘therapy’ in focus after suicide
nNEW DELHI: The suicide of a 21-year-old queer woman from Kerala, who claimed that she was taken to multiple de-addiction centres over three months against her will to “cure” her of her non-heterosexual orientation, has drawn attention to the dubious practice of conversion therapy, experts have said.
The body of the Kannur University-affiliated college student was found in Goa last week. She visited the state with three friends on March 21, but got stuck there because of the lockdown. Gargi H, a friend of the student, said she was undergoing treatment for depression before her family took her to the de-addiction centres.
In a Facebook video that woman posted in March, she narrated how she was put on heavy medication at the centres without consent. She had come out to her family as a bisexual woman recently. “The post mortem has confirmed (the student) died as a result of hanging and no foul play is suspected,” inspector of the Calangute police station, Nolasco
Raposo, said.
Deepa Vasudevan, co-founder of Kerala-based Sahayatrika said, “Parents of queer or trans people often send them to psychiatrists or psychologists to “cure” them of their sexual orientation or gender identity. We have seen this practice in many of our crisis interventions.”
As per the Mental Healthcare Act 2017, which came into effect in July 2018, an adult person cannot be treated for any mental health condition without their express consent, or that of a nominated representative in case they either lack the capacity to make decisions or pose a danger to themselves and others. A representative can only be nominated by the person requiring treatment.
Conversion therapy historically used medication, and other practices like Electroconvulsive Therapy and chemical castration to “cure” persons of their homosexuality. According to psychiatrist Dr Soumitra Pathare, “While no provision outlaws conversion therapy, it is a clear violation of the Act.” In 2018, Indian Psychiatric Society released a statement that homosexuality is not a psychiatric disorder.