The admission by a major British psychiatric organization that people are not born gay, coupled with a new study that determined higher suicide rates among the LGBT population are due to relationship stress rather than discrimination, is sending shockwaves through the homosexual community.

Charisma News is reporting on a statement issued by the UK's Royal College Psychiatrists that claims the causes of homosexuality are a "combination of biological and postnatal environment factors."

In spite of making this major admission, however, the College continues to support a ban on therapy that helps men and women with unwanted same-sex feelings.

The statement goes on to say that " . . . (I)t is eminently reasonable that the experiences of discrimination in society and possible rejection by friends, families and others (such as employers), means that some lesbian, gay and bisexual people experience a greater than expected prevalence of mental health and substance misuse problems."

However, a new study by researchers at the Australian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention in Queensland found that the leading cause of suicide among LGBT people is stress from their romantic partners rather than from social discrimination and/or rejection.

In fact, the study found that "LGBT individuals experienced relationship problems more often" than heterosexuals, "with relationship conflict also being more frequent than in non-LGBT cases."

“We tend to assume that the psychological distress LGBTI people are often going through is due to family rejection," said Dr. Delaney Skerrett, to LifeSiteNews.com. "But it seems that’s not so much the case. The conflict seems to be largely related to relationship problems with partners."

Researchers also report a higher incidence of depression as the cause of suicide, a conclusion that adds to the consensus that depression disproportionately affects active homosexuals.

Commenting on the study to LifeSite, Peter Sprigg, senior fellow for policy studies at the Family Research Council, said the study adds to the evidence that the causes of suicide and depression in the homosexual community are more complex than gay activists admit.

“Pro-homosexual activists have long given a single explanation for the high rates of physical and mental health problems among those who engage in homosexual relationships – they blame it on 'homophobia,' the 'stigma' which they suffer at the hands of society, and the 'rejection' they suffer from family members who disapprove of such conduct,” Sprigg said.

However, this hypothesis is not supported by science. “Scientific research, however, has never supported this one-size-fits-all explanation for the serious pathologies experienced by homosexuals,” Sprigg said.

Dr. Skerritt is planning more research into the suicidal tendencies of homosexuals to delve further into the issue of why suicide is so much more prevalent in this population.

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