Mental Health Disparities in the LGBTQ+ Community
Lori Gabert, MS, LPC, CAADC
Rosewood Recovery Clinical Program Director
June 12, 2023
It’s June, which means another Pride month is upon us. For those of you celebrating - HAPPY PRIDE and may your month be filled with love, joy, and lots of rainbows.
I’ll use LGBTQ+ and community interchangeably throughout this post. Where you see it listed otherwise is to stay in context with the article or study being referenced.?
Some Facts for You
In a 2017 article by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) if you take the percentage of LGBTQ population by state, the average for the country is just 3.6% , this number increased to 4.5% in 2018. The District of Columbia has the highest population at 10% with North Dakota at 1.7% having the smallest. Since we’re located in Pennsylvania I’ll also share that we come in at 2.7% (1,4).
These numbers are small compared to the larger population. And yet, people in this community are experiencing staggering higher rates of mental health concerns compared to heterosexual counterparts. In the same APA article they provide the following statistics:(1)
What’s Attributing to These Disparities?
Even though it is 2023 and the Stonewall Riots were 54 years ago, stigma and discrimination toward the LGBTQ+ community is still ongoing.?
Individuals in the LGBTQ+ community often feel different then those around them. As the statistics have shown, they make for a small percentage of the overall U.S. population and they struggle with being different, they often feel broken, and don’t always have someone to talk to that can relate. Even with the rise of online communities it can be a very lonely place when a person is starting to explore their sexual and/or gender identity. There is also some stigma within the LGBTQ+ community that individuals who identify as bisexual, asexual, and aromantic don’t belong in the larger queer community.
Most of us have been in situations where we didn’t feel like we fit in, perhaps someone even did or said something that made us feel uncomfortable. You may experience stress, anxiety, or depression from these encounters. This is often the experience of the LGBTQ+ community especially when entering a new and unfamiliar space where they may not be accepted for who they are. Being under constant stress can lead to anxiety disorders and depression, and if not dealt with could lead to maladaptive coping skills such as substance misuse and self-harm.?
After a person has accepted their orientation/identity there is then the process of “coming out” which can itself be anxiety provoking, and traumatizing. Many individuals in the community are not accepted by those closest to them. A 2013 study found that LGBTQ+ individuals have been rejected by a family member or close friend. Youth and young adults who identify as LGBTQ+ have a 120% higher risk of homelessness and many then face the added challenge of shelters not accepting them due to how they identify. A report from the Trevor Project in 2022 reported that just 37% of youth in the community found their home to be an affirming space.(5)
Phobia, bullying, stereotypes, and denial of opportunities contribute to the physical, verbal, and emotional trauma LGBTQ+ individuals face. LGBTQ+ individuals are one of the communities targeted most for hate crimes and are more likely to experience violence with rates of violence being even higher for racial and ethnic minorities.(1,5)
Studies have shown that LGBQ individuals who live in stigmatizing communities die twelve years earlier than those in more accepting communities. Between 2004 and 2005 when bans on marriage equality occurred, states which enacted those bans saw a 30% increase in mood disorders where states without the bans saw a decrease in mood disorders by 20%.(3)
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Seeking healthcare for both physical and mental health concerns can also be a challenge. LGBTQ+ individuals face being rejected, misunderstood, and harassed if a provider is not affirming or has conscious or unconscious bias towards the community. Even if a provider is an ally, they may not necessarily be competent in the unique challenges that the community faces. A survey found that some providers blamed a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity as the cause of their illness. This can result in LGBTQ+ individuals not seeking care leaving physical and mental health concerns unaddressed which could lead to more problems and complications. It wasn’t until 2011 that the Joint Commission (an organization that accredits and certifies hospitals and other programs in the U.S.) required organizations to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression to receive accreditation.(4)?
Inviting In?
“Inviting in'' is a newer term and different way to look at coming out. It is the hope that as our society continues to move toward acceptance and recognition that individuals in the LGBTQ+ community will eventually be able to simply exist and their orientation and identities won’t have to be a topic of discussion. That they won’t have to “confess” to anyone anything about who they are, just as straight and allonormative people don’t have to do that. No one has to sit down and tell people they’re straight, or “hey just to let you know parents I accept myself as my sex assigned at birth.” Inviting in gives people in the community more power to who, when, and how to share this information.?
It’s important for individuals who are part of the community and their allies to find at least subtle ways for others to know they are safe with you. You can do this by displaying your pronouns in email signatures or video conferencing display name; having a pride flag displaying within your office; or having a pride or ally pin on your name badge. Many businesses will put a pride flag in their storefront showing their allyship or that signify they are queer owned.??
Continuing to educate yourself through trainings, watching movies or shows with queer characters, reading both fiction and nonfiction books about the LGBTQ+ community, and simply having an open mind when joining (or listening) to conversations being had among queer people and their allies.?
Resources
American Psychological Association: www.apa.org/pi/lgbt?
Association of Gay and Lesbian Psychiatrists (AGLP): www.aglp.org
Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation: www.glaad.org
LGBT Suicide Prevention: www.theTrevorProject.org
Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gay (PFLA): https://pflag.org
Straight for Equality: https://straightforequality.org/
The Asexual Visibility and Education Network: https://www.asexuality.org/
The LGBT National Help Center: https://www.lgbthotline.org/
If you are someone you know is struggling with their mental health or having thoughts of hurting themselves, it’s okay to share your feelings - call or text the National Crisis Hotline at 988.?
References