Dwight L. Evans

Treating and preventing adolescent mental health disorders: What We Know and What We Don't Know. A Research Agenda for Improving the Mental Health of Our Youth

ajp.psychiatryonline.org In any case, as I read chapter after chapter I began to discover a different perspective about this book. While there is no longer a need to prove that homosexuality is not a mental disorder or that Dr. Spitzer’s study of 2001 lacked scientific rigor, this compendium of papers/chapters permitted the review of this historical series of events together rather than separately. This historical and comprehensive approach has some value when seen in this context. However, for the reader who might want to examine both sides of this issue for the purpose of deciding who was right or who was wrong on this topic, reading this book will serve no purpose whatsoever, since that type of decision has no validity in the 21st century. In terms of the book itself, it has 37 chapters, divided into four sections. The first section lays out an introduction to the topic of this book and the book itself. The second section focuses on the concept of “changing sexual orientation.” The third section is comprised of a series of commentaries about Dr. Spitzer’s controversial study of the early 2000s and his response to them. Both sides attempt to explain how right or wrong Dr. Spitzer’s study was. The fourth section includes commentaries on the Spitzer study as well as an interview with Dr. Spitzer conducted by Dr. Jack Drescher. In summary, despite its shortcomings, this compendium of previously published papers offers a unique opportunity to review and understand the historical perspective of “homosexuality” as perceived by the profession and society at large during the last several decades. From this viewpoint, I strongly recommend this book to those interested in this historical perspective.