Hello and happy pride month! As we celebrate love of all kinds, we wanted to take a moment to talk about mental health and resources for people in the LGTBQIA+ community.
First and foremost: we will not tolerate ANY hate or discrimination on our page and if we deem that your comments are harmful, it will be deleted and you will be removed.
Let’s talk about the mental health of LGBTQIA+ youth and adults- they are more than twice as likely to experience a mental health condition or illness compared to their heterosexual peers, and transgender individuals are more than four times more likely than people whose gender identity is their assigned birth sex.
Before we move on- here’s a quick rundown on sex versus gender identity. Sex is determined by your genitalia, your physical female or male characteristics, while gender identity is how you prefer to be perceived in society, such as male, female, nonbinary, gender fluid, etc. For more information about gender identities, check out our resources at the end of this post!
Compared to those not part of the LGBTQIA+ community, youths and adults are twice as likely to be at a greater risk for suicide. Why is that, you may ask? There are a bunch of risk factors that can affect people who are not cisgender or heterosexual such as trauma, homelessness, rejection, substance abuse, etc. in unsupportive households. Even if a person is in a supportive household, there can be issues when it comes to getting professional mental health help due to discrimination against their sexuality or the way they identify.
Common mental health issues among members of the LGBTQIA+ community include depression and anxiety, which are relatively common overall. Depression can often stem from bullying or mistreatment due to the person’s sexuality or gender identity.
With all of this, it can be hard for members of the LGBTQIA+ community to get the help they need, but it is not impossible. Below, we have listed a number of sources and resources you can use to get the support you need or learn more about LGBTQIA+ mental health.
Resources:
The Trevor Project: text “START” to 678678 or call 1-866-488-7386
Association of LGBTQ+ Psychiatrists: http://www.aglp.org/
LGBT National Help Center includes hotlines, support groups, and talk lines for all ages: http://www.glbtnationalhelpcenter.org/
Social & Emotional Wellness Initiative (SEWI): https://www.sewi.org/lgbtq?gclid=CjwKCAjwtdeFBhBAEiwAKOIy51dz3OYbn7J4JsPnRIijzCcjJsC7jxtiPvHJFp3A0DoQlrF9UBYsdhoCgX8QAvD_BwE
Trans Lifeline:
US - 877-565-8860
Canada - 877-330-6366
Sources: