Gay marriage is on a lot of people's minds today.

And, at least for the wedding party, it will improve their minds' health, according to some psychiatrists.

For Gay Marriage Day '08, I dug this story out of Psychiatric Times:

Numerous studies exploring the relationship between mental health and marriage in the general population have suggested that on average, married individuals have better mental health, more emotional support, less psychological distress, and lower rates of psychiatric disorder than do the unmarried. He (Dr. Robert Kertzner, associate clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of California at San Francisco) expected that many, if not most, of the benefits of marriage also would be applicable to lesbians and gay men.

Some interesting points from the 2006 article:

• The American Psychological Association and the American Psychiatric Association, Kertzner said, have issued statements in favor of marriage equality for lesbians and gay men, citing the harmful effects of discrimination on mental health.
• Because they are not being allowed to marry, same-sex couples often experience commitment ambiguity marked by uncertainty about the extent of mutual obligations in the relationship; uncertainty about the recognition of the partnership by family, friends, and others, and uncertainty about when the relationship is over. That ambiguity serves to support stereotypes that lesbians and gay men are incapable of staying together and are therefore unworthy of being married and should be denied marriage.
• From an anthropologic and historical viewpoint, Kertzner noted that in most cultures being married is the only way to legitimize one’s sexuality. “So if you can’t be married, there is no legitimization of one’s sexuality, which, in turn, creates problems for lesbians and gay men with respect to stigma, self-acceptance, and lack of support from family and communities,” he said.
• In most societies, marriage is considered the key to being regarded as a full adult, Kertzner continued. By being denied the opportunities of marriage, “lesbians and gay men are also denied the opportunity to be seen as full citizens and full adults participating in society.”
• “Marriage provides much more stability and structure for parents raising children. It protects the rights of nonbiologic parents; it provides a process for the legal resolution of custody issues, and it provides a sense of psychological stability for children being raised by gay and lesbian parents,” he said.

How do you feel about this?