Look to Norway? Gay Issues and Mental Health Across the Atlantic Ocean

SUMMARY

This paper addresses the origin of the current theoretical framework for Norwegian psychiatry's understanding of homosexuality. In Norway today, the prevailing attitude is an essentialistic, non-psychopathological understanding of homosexuality based on the generally vague psychosocial and biological understanding of mental health problems and illnesses. This paper points to the influence in Norway of German academic psychiatry, and the impact of both pre- and post-World War II psychoanalytic theories. The gay movement's influence on the pro-gay legislation and position statements in psychiatry is emphasized. Since the radical 1970s, little research has been done in this field of Norwegian psychiatry. This has led to a situation where firm knowledge is scarce and there is a demand for establishing a special competence center. This vacuum has allowed psychoanalysts to fall behind on their theoretical updates and for religious groups to import the reparative therapy movement. Both groups are now challenged. The discrepancy between the pro-gay legislation and the lack of development in Norwegian psychiatry is suggested as a possible field of research.

KEYWORDS:

• Gay civil rights
• homosexuality
• Norwegian psychiatry
• position statements
• psychoanalysis