U.S. President Barack Obama has called for an end to conversion therapy, a psychiatric treatment that aims to convert gays, lesbians and transgender people to heterosexuals. 

Obama's move was in response to a petition calling for the ban on conversion therapies following the suicide of 17-year-old transgender Leelah Alcorn in December.  The petition easily gained 120,000 signatures in just three months. 

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"We share your concern about its potentially devastating effects on the lives of transgender as well as gay, lesbian, bisexual, and queer youth," White House adviser Valerie Jarrett said in response to the petition.

"As part of our dedication to protecting America's youth, this administration supports efforts to ban the use of conversion therapy for minors," Jarrett added.

Conversion therapy uses prayer and counseling to help people deal with homosexual urges. 

A therapist and a psychology expert in California said such therapies could indeed change the way people think and feel. 

"We believe that change is still possible. People go to therapy because they can change, because it really does work," therapist David Pickup said.

However, gay rights groups said such practices might trigger depression and suicide -- just like in the case of Alcorn, who was forced by her parents to undergo conversion therapy.  She was eventually pulled out of school and isolated, in a bid to change her sexual orientation.

Jarrett has recognized that conversion therapy, when used on minors, "is neither medically nor ethically appropriate" and may cause more harm than good.

The National Center for Transgender Equality as well as other gay rights groups welcomed President Obama's remarks backing efforts to ban the treatment.

While the White House supports the petition, it did not say if it would call for legislation to ban the therapy nationwide. 

The states of California and New Jersey have already banned conversion therapies, but other states such as Oklahoma are considering crafting a law to protect the treatment from being legally challenged. 

Tagsconversion therapy, lesbians, Gay, bisexuals, transgender, LGBT, Leelah Alcorn