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According to recent research, LGBTQ people have a greater prevalence of mental health challenges than the general population. It is believed that this is a result of the ongoing discrimination that people of this community face. In fact, studies have shown that LGBTQ youth are approximately three to four times more likely to commit suicide compared to their peers.
Given the institutional and societal discrimination and prejudice that LGBTQ youth face, it’s crucial that these young people learn how to cope with this stress and not internalize negative messages about their identity. In other words, we must pay particular attention to their mental health.
The Negative Experiences of LGBTQ Youth That Contribute to Poor Mental Health
Universally, LGBTQ youth experience verbal and physical abuse from their peers due to their gender variation or sexual orientation. As stated in the 1998 Counseling Today article, Creating a safer school for gay students (Bart, M), a 1998 study found that, on average, LGBTQ students had derogatory slurs hurled at them up to 26 times a day. Some of these students also reported that these behaviors happened in front of school staff, who did nothing to stop the discrimination. Although 1998 seems like a long time ago, LGBTQ youth are still experiencing harassment. A study by the CDC in 2015 found that 34% of queer youth experienced some form of bullying at school. Furthermore, approximately 1 in 10 respondents stated they were threatened or injured with a weapon at school.
As a result of these negative experiences, LGBTQ people will begin to expect and anticipate judgment and rejection from their peers, families, and communities. This is a significant contributor to poor mental health.
Additionally, many LGBTQ youths are rejected by their own families and may even experience violence at the hands of family members. In fact, there is a high tendency for them to be kicked out of their homes or feel the need to escape by running away.
While in recent years, society has taken strides to improve the treatment of members of the LGBTQ community, stigma and discrimination still exist. Consequently, a 2015 Youth Risk Behavior Survey found that 60 percent of LGBTQ youth stated that they felt so sad or hopeless that they had withdrawn from their usual activities. Furthermore, the Trevor Project’s 2019 National Survey discovered that 39% of LGBTQ youth had thought seriously about committing suicide in the prior year. This survey also found that 76% of youth felt their mental health was affected by the current political climate. Additionally, two out of three participants said that someone had tried convincing them to change their sexual orientation.
The Current State of LGBTQ Mental Health
When we consider the strides that popular media has taken to embrace queer lifestyles and culture, it can be hard to fathom that discrimination against this community still exists. Unfortunately, the statistics don’t lie. LGBTQ youth continue to face harassment and bias, leading them to internalize negative feelings about their identity. Consequently, the state of LGBTQ mental health is still precarious, with studies indicating that queer youth are 1.75 times more likely to have symptoms of depression and anxiety.
As long as stigma about people who identify as members of the LGBTQ community remains prevalent in our society, the mental health of these people will suffer. For instance, a 2018 Human Rights Campaign report found that 95% of youth surveyed had trouble sleeping at night, and 77% reported feeling depressed. However, it’s not a simple matter to change beliefs about societal norms. Instead, the focus should be on improving the mental health of LGBTQ youth so they don’t internalize negative feelings about their identity and can instead stand strong against oppression.
What Can We Do To Improve The Mental Health of LGBTQ Youth
Bullying, fear of rejection, anti-queer messaging, and the chronic stress of having one’s identity stigmatized can negatively affect the mental health of LGBTQ youth. The studies cited previously make it clear that there’s a definite link between how society and family treat queer youth and their mental health. However, without the means to magically change the way people think and act, how can we help these youth?
Unfortunately, many LGBTQ youths struggle to find appropriate mental health treatment. Furthermore, when they do receive treatment, it’s often from primary care providers, who may not be adequately trained in these matters. There is currently a lack of LGBTQ-specific training for health care providers and a general lack of knowledge about their specific health needs. Additionally, there are no financial incentives to treat these youth, so many health care providers simply don’t bother.
Therefore, many youths are advised to seek out secondary mental health service providers. However, this is often more difficult than it seems. Lack of finances and transportation, and age restrictions are barriers that many LGBTQ youths encounter when seeking out mental health providers.
Accordingly, it’s up to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to implement practices that will help improve the relationship between primary health care providers and LGBTQ youth. Here are a few things they should do:
- Create and disseminate a curriculum to medical training programs that include materials about LGBTQ patients.
- Obtain funds from Congress to support education programs that teach LGBTQ cultural competency.
- Work with the LGBTQ community stakeholders to create cultural competency goals, training modules, policies, and other tools.
- Make sure that students training in mental health professions and other relevant professions receive cultural competency training.
- Require that all medical facilities that receive federal funding to implement LGBTQ cultural competency training for every member of their staff.
Support plays a vital role in a person’s mental health and overall well-being. Unfortunately, these are solutions on a national scale, and they may take years to implement. Fortunately, continuing movements within the LGBTQ community have created alternative ways for people to connect meaningfully, share, and heal. Youths can connect through activities such as recreational groups, political actions groups, and peer support and discussion groups.
Furthermore, LGBTQ youths are creating healthy alliances with their neighbors, friends, and families. These people are known as allies.
Anyone can be an ally and offer support and nurturing to LGBTQ youth. Allies provide an example to others by challenging discrimination and acknowledging the impact of prejudice on mental health.
Final Words on The Importance of Mental Health for LGBTQ Youth
The discrimination, prejudice, and stigma experienced by LGBTQ youth at home, school, and in their social and/or religious communities negatively affects their mental health. The onslaught of negativity about their identity becomes ingrained leading to stress, anxiety, and depression. Consequently, youth who identify as LGBTQ are more likely to commit suicide than their heteronormative peers.
There is no single thing that we can do to help improve LGBTQ mental health. Rather, steps need to be taken on both the national and local levels.
On a national level, the government needs to implement mandatory training on dealing with LGBTQ health needs for health care providers. On a local level, we need to create more safe spaces for these youth, and allies need to get actively involved in helping support and nurture queer youth.
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