| Summary: | 碩士 === 高雄醫學大學 === 心理學系碩士班 === 103 === The American Psychiatric Association has de-pathologized gays more than forty years ago. But, there have still been some gays stating their negative medical experience in psychiatric service in recent years. It is a pity that it has not been profoundly explored or reflected in documents regarding psychiatric service in Taiwan. This study thus aimed to have an in-depth understanding of the reasons gays have sought psychiatric service, their dilemma in the service, and their medical needs as well as practical recommendations. The participants of study were six adult gays with psychiatric service experience. For research method, the “holistic - content” and “categorical - content” analysis of the narrative research were used to explore and sort the data of the gays’ medical service stories. Our findings were the stories of psychiatric service narrated by the six gays, mainly as follows.
1.Why seeking medical service: it is often that gays suffer psychiatric disorders as a result of the huge pressure on them, or receive psychiatric service only when they are forced to. Sexual minority stressors, such as homosexual preference and homosexual desire subject to social and cultural criticism, and feminine gays belittled for girlishness, also are important resulting factors in the process.
2.Dilemma in medical service: gays think that psychiatry service providers over-emphasize drug treatment, disregard issues of sexuality, lack understanding of gays’ lifestyle, embrace heterosexual assumptions and homophobia, and fail to show empathy by being in other’s shoe. Individual blind spot and lack of consciousness rising in gays also retard them to benefit from the involvement of psychiatric service.
3.Medical needs and practical recommendations: gays require mental health professionals to practice de-pathologized and complete treatment, to increase the understanding of the gay population, and to specifically exhibit empathy. Other important aspects include assisting gays in handling their blind spot, promoting health care reform, and allowing intervention of the view of social justice.
Last, based on the above conclusions, we propose recommendations for mental health professionals and researchers. The recommendations are hoped to be reference in design and building psychiatry service system with gender diversity and values of fairness and justice.
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