Failure to successfully pass through this stage may conclude in a homosexual outcome. But before you proceed in therapy, you must understand that there are two parts to the question. Or if your main concern is depression, with homosexuality being of less significance for you, then there is also psychotherapy aimed at alleviating depression. Whatever the choice, you decide what route you will take, and how far you will travel. Also be aware that when a patient comes in for an initial evaluation, their diagnosis and treatment will not be determined solely by the unwanted symptom.
Accurate diagnosis is reached through a complex understanding of the patient's psychodynamics.
After the diagnosis is made, we embark on a course of treatment which takes into consideration the patient's level of psychological development, capacity to tolerate psychological stress without significant decompensation, and motivation to understand themselves and make the appropriate changes. Finally, the type of treatment chosen and the extent of that treatment will be a decision initiated by the patient with the therapist concurring. In my 45 years of work in this field, I have found that the most significant predictor of success has been the patient's motivation to understand themselves. Some patients' motivation is simply to relieve the symptom in order to feel better, but enduring success in therapy will require that the patient strongly desire to understand and resolve the underlying conflicts. All Rights Reserved.