Same-Sex Marriage

The August 19 Psychiatric News headlined that “APA Board Supports Same-Sex Marriage.” The article explained that APA now supports legal recognition of same-sex civil marriages. There were details as to why it was believed that denying this legal right would have mental health consequences, and Paul Fink, M.D., stated that the “social” component of the biopsychosocial approach cannot be arbitrarily dismissed.

APA is an organization of medical specialists with a mission to promote the highest quality care and serve the professional needs of its membership. As such, APA's support of legal recognition of same-sex marriages is a dangerous“ boundary violation.” The issue of same-sex marriage is not an issue of psychiatric diagnosis or treatment.

The legalization of same-sex marriage is the agenda of a specific special interest group. It is a highly divisive issue in American politics and jurisprudence. APA's asserting any position on this issue would serve only to alienate potential supporters of our objectives that are fully consistent with our mission. APA should be working toward ensuring that there are sufficient resources available to make mental health care accessible, for example, ending discriminatory mental health benefits under Medicare and other insurance, or resolving the increasing limitations in access to medications. APA should remain vigilant to prevent increasing attempts to prescribe medication by legislation instead of proper medical education.

The assertion that denying legal same-sex marriages can result in mental health consequences is very problematic. Losing a job or failing a grade can cause mental health consequences. Will APA now support a national prohibition on job losses or insist on “A's for Everyone”? Such statements are ludicrous. Stating the same for same-sex marriages hurts the credibility and professionalism of APA.