Received Pronunciation.
The problem is that as soon as society says it is acceptable for such therapies to be allowed, there are those who will decide it is desirable. Dr Nazeem Mahmood was successful and happy in a relationship, yet he still took his own life after his mother suggested he get therapy to 'cure' his homosexuality. That wasn't a choice he wanted to make, but one his family decided was ok to pressure him into.
And no doubt it would be available privately. What happens then - adverts on the Tube? Promotion by the churches?
People take their own life because they are unhappy for all kinds of reasons. It doesn't become a bigger or smaller tragedy because their reason for killing themselves was because they did not perceive enough acceptance about their sexuality. They are depressed so their perceptions are skewed anyway by their depression.
A friend of mine hanged himself by tying a belt round his neck and jumping off his balcony in Australia when he was 22 because he thought he was ugly, which was crazy as not only was he good-looking and a great dancer but he was also a really sweet guy - but when he looked at himself he felt unhappy and unaccepted. Also, society puts lots of pressure on people about their looks. Yet we have whole industries geared towards providing services to allow people to change the way they look. So this whole slippery slope argument is along the same lines as some people gave for opposing gay marriage - it's restricting individual freedom based on guessing.
Restricting advertising is a separate issue - you could treat it the same way as cigarette advertising. Maybe we should also get rid of adverts for cosmetic procedures from the tube?
Very true points and an excellent Post Gabriella,
Friends have walked out under a Lorry and killed themselves in other ways because of mental illness and the strain of living with it.
Sometimes we fail to find the right answers and even the right treatments.
My ex-husband had tried suicide several times. Lost of two of his friends as teenagers and that was a slippery slope into depression.
But he had his own issues too. So like everything we cannot get it right all the time. But people have to address issues and realities of how people feel about themselves and help them.
