An homophobic article in the Clinical Schizophrenia & Related Psychoses, published following the sale of the journal to a new publisher, has left the former editor and board members scrambling to distance themselves from it.
Retraction Watch reports that the “dodgy” journal – which claims to be an “esteemed” peer-reviewed journal with a 37 h-index (meaning every article in it has an average of 37 citations) – was sold some years to a new publisher. However, the names of the editor and advisory board members were left on the masthead, despite ongoing attempts to have them removed. They have now been left embarrassed and angry following the publication of an Iranian paper that argues “homosexuality and masturbation deserve to be considered (or reconsidered, as the case may be) mental illnesses”.
The 2021 paper, Review of Removing Homosexuality and Masturbation from the List of Sexual Dysfunctions in DSM, was written by Sayed Ali Marashi, of the Department of Psychology at Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz in Iran.
Bizarrely, notes Retraction Watch, the header on the paper reads Metallurgical Investigation of Tie Rod used for lifting Ferro-Alloy during Steel Making: A Safety Issues.
According to the article, “A detailed review shows that the reasons for the elimination of homosexuality and masturbation from DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) were not scientific reasons, but the real causes for this move were philosophical, libertarian, and social and political considerations.
“So, therapists do not need to follow this view. Instead, there are many reasons and evidences that show these behaviours are abnormal and harmful. It is therefore recommended that therapists and researchers seek effective ways to treat these two disorders, and at least not encourage these behaviours.”
When contacted for comment about the article, the supposed editor, Peter Buckley, the chancellor of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, said that he was no longer affiliated with the publication: “The prior publisher of Clinical Schizophrenia & Related Psychoses sold the journal several years ago and I have not been involved since then and so I donʼt know anything about this issue.”
Deanna Kelly, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Maryland, was also concerned. She said, “We are being exploited and unsuccessful so far in the removal of our names from their journal.”
Another member of the advisory board, Brian Kirkpatrick, told Retraction Watch: “There are three of us in this situation. Weʼve tried to resolve this problem multiple times, so far without success.”
Peter Walsh, of Walsh Medical Media, which formerly published the journal but is still listed as the owner, told Buckley in an email that he would be meeting his attorney, “about writing another letter insisting that our editorial board be taken down”.
The new publisher did not respond to a request for comment from Retraction Watch.
Study details
Review of Removing Homosexuality and Masturbation from the List of Sexual Dysfunctions in DSM
Sayed Ali Marashi.
Published in Clinical Schizophrenia & Related Psychoses on 24 June 2021
Abstract
Context
Can homosexuality and masturbation be considered as normal behaviours as APA mentioned? What scientific findings or logic reasons are there for supporting or refusing APA’s view about these behaviours?
Evidence acquisition
In the present article APA’s impressions and reasoning about healthy and normal behaviours was reviewed to reveal if APA observed the criteria of healthy behaviours when it decided to exclude homosexuality and masturbation from DSM. Also, other evidences that confirm or reject this point of view were reviewed.
Results and discussion
According to many authors, social and political pressures simply forced APA to exclude homosexuality and masturbation from the list of sexual disorders in DSM through “voting”, not according to scientific findings. Then APA argued for reasoning the emprise. Almost all the reasons provided by homosexuality and masturbation supporters are philosophical comprehensions about distinguishing abnormal from normal situations, including high prevalence of a certain behaviour, being comfortable with it, being intractable, being observed in animals and lack of dysfunction due to a certain behaviour, as reasons for the behaviour to consider it as a normal behaviour. According to APA’s own criteria, contradictions of APA’s reasoning are shown and scientific and logic reasons are presented that show masturbation and homosexuality should be considered as abnormal behaviours.
We reviewed “statistical”, “well-being”, “dysfunction”, “anatomo-physiological” and “social norm” criteria for healthy sexual behaviours and showed that, according to the real healthy criteria, masturbation and homosexuality are not normal behaviours. Also, research findings overall do not support APA’s view about masturbation and homosexuality, rather confront it.
Conclusion
A detailed review shows that the reasons for the elimination of homosexuality and masturbation from DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) were not scientific reasons, but the real causes for this move were philosophical, libertarian, and social and political considerations. So, therapists do not need to follow this view. Instead, there are many reasons and evidences that show these behaviours are abnormal and harmful. It is therefore recommended that therapists and researchers seek effective ways to treat these two disorders, and at least not encourage these behaviours.
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