Mental Health Issues in the LGBT Community
Discrimination against LGBT people is commonplace. But, in the past two decades there has been a considerable rise of public and scientific awareness of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) lives and issues. The emergence of the “gay rights” movement in the 1970s and the emergence of HIV/AIDS in the 1980s influenced this awareness. The meaning of LGBT and the experiences of LGBT people varies with other salient personal, ethnic, cultural, and social identities.
Before the 1970s, the American Psychiatric Association’s (APA’s) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) listed homosexuality as a “sociopathic personality disturbance”. Pioneering studies on the prevalence of homosexuality and psychological comparisons between heterosexual and gay men fostered a change in attitudes of the psychological community and motivated the APA to remove homosexuality as a mental disorder in 1973 . Earlier, it was believed that homosexuality was intrinsically linked with poor mental health. Now, an effort is made to understand the social determinants of LGBT mental health.
The sexual minorities experience chronic stressors related to their stigmatized identities, including victimization, prejudice, and discrimination. These experiences, besides everyday or universal stressors, compromise the mental health and well-being of LGBT people. This community is 10 times more likely to experience discrimination based on sexual orientation as compared to heterosexual people. Mistreatment comes in many forms, from seemingly benign jokes, to verbal insults, unequal treatment and in the most extreme cases, physical violence. For many of them, the bias is everywhere and lasts for a lifetime.
Adolescence is a critical period for mental health as many mental disorders show onset during and following this developmental period. Data illustrates overwhelming evidence that LGBT persons are at greater risk for poor mental health across developmental stages. Studies indicate elevated rates of depression and mood disorders, anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) , alcohol use and abuse, and suicide ideation and attempts, as well as psychiatric co-morbidity. Studies of adolescents trace the origins of these adult sexual orientation mental health disparities to the adolescent years: Multiple studies demonstrate that disproportionate rates of distress, symptoms, and behaviors related to these disorders are present among LGBT youth prior to adulthood. The sexual minority youth are almost three times as likely to report suicidality; also there is a moderate difference in depressive symptoms compared to heterosexual youth.
The lack of support from many institutions that guide the lives of LGBT youth (e.g., their schools, families, faith communities) limits their rights and protections and leaves them more vulnerable to experiences that may compromise their mental health. Positive parental and familial relationships are crucial for youth well-being. But, many LGBT youth fear coming out and may experience rejection from parents because of these identities. Those who do experience family rejection are at greater risk for depressive symptoms, anxiety, and suicide attempts .
Clear and consistent evidence indicates that global mental health problems are elevated among LGBT youth. Among them, there are consistent indications that bisexual youth are among those at higher risk for mental health problems. The shortage of research on gender and racial/ethnic differences in mental health status among LGBT youth, indicates the need for more research. There is a need to understand diversity in the experiences of LGBT youth better and their potentials for risk in regard to mental health and well-being.
On the bright side, In a historic verdict, the Supreme Court of India on 6 September 2018 decriminalised the Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code and allowed gay sex among consenting adults in private . The SC ruled that consensual adult gay sex is not a crime saying sexual orientation is natural and people have no control over it. This is one step in the right direction but we still have a long way to go.
The prejudice held against the LGBT community is one of the major reasons for their poor mental health. All they need from us is our support- to live a peaceful life. The maltreatment against the community has to stop. We pride ourselves in being "progressive" but the reality reflects something else. It's about time we open up our minds and think about this community. They deserve to live without having to worry about their safety. Extend your support to the LGBT community, that's the least we could do. Be kind to one another. As rightly said by Daniel Radcliffe, "You don't have to be gay to be a supporter. You just have to be human."
Sources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4887282
Before the 1970s, the American Psychiatric Association’s (APA’s) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) listed homosexuality as a “sociopathic personality disturbance”. Pioneering studies on the prevalence of homosexuality and psychological comparisons between heterosexual and gay men fostered a change in attitudes of the psychological community and motivated the APA to remove homosexuality as a mental disorder in 1973 . Earlier, it was believed that homosexuality was intrinsically linked with poor mental health. Now, an effort is made to understand the social determinants of LGBT mental health.
The sexual minorities experience chronic stressors related to their stigmatized identities, including victimization, prejudice, and discrimination. These experiences, besides everyday or universal stressors, compromise the mental health and well-being of LGBT people. This community is 10 times more likely to experience discrimination based on sexual orientation as compared to heterosexual people. Mistreatment comes in many forms, from seemingly benign jokes, to verbal insults, unequal treatment and in the most extreme cases, physical violence. For many of them, the bias is everywhere and lasts for a lifetime.
Adolescence is a critical period for mental health as many mental disorders show onset during and following this developmental period. Data illustrates overwhelming evidence that LGBT persons are at greater risk for poor mental health across developmental stages. Studies indicate elevated rates of depression and mood disorders, anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) , alcohol use and abuse, and suicide ideation and attempts, as well as psychiatric co-morbidity. Studies of adolescents trace the origins of these adult sexual orientation mental health disparities to the adolescent years: Multiple studies demonstrate that disproportionate rates of distress, symptoms, and behaviors related to these disorders are present among LGBT youth prior to adulthood. The sexual minority youth are almost three times as likely to report suicidality; also there is a moderate difference in depressive symptoms compared to heterosexual youth.
The lack of support from many institutions that guide the lives of LGBT youth (e.g., their schools, families, faith communities) limits their rights and protections and leaves them more vulnerable to experiences that may compromise their mental health. Positive parental and familial relationships are crucial for youth well-being. But, many LGBT youth fear coming out and may experience rejection from parents because of these identities. Those who do experience family rejection are at greater risk for depressive symptoms, anxiety, and suicide attempts .
Clear and consistent evidence indicates that global mental health problems are elevated among LGBT youth. Among them, there are consistent indications that bisexual youth are among those at higher risk for mental health problems. The shortage of research on gender and racial/ethnic differences in mental health status among LGBT youth, indicates the need for more research. There is a need to understand diversity in the experiences of LGBT youth better and their potentials for risk in regard to mental health and well-being.
On the bright side, In a historic verdict, the Supreme Court of India on 6 September 2018 decriminalised the Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code and allowed gay sex among consenting adults in private . The SC ruled that consensual adult gay sex is not a crime saying sexual orientation is natural and people have no control over it. This is one step in the right direction but we still have a long way to go.
The prejudice held against the LGBT community is one of the major reasons for their poor mental health. All they need from us is our support- to live a peaceful life. The maltreatment against the community has to stop. We pride ourselves in being "progressive" but the reality reflects something else. It's about time we open up our minds and think about this community. They deserve to live without having to worry about their safety. Extend your support to the LGBT community, that's the least we could do. Be kind to one another. As rightly said by Daniel Radcliffe, "You don't have to be gay to be a supporter. You just have to be human."
Sources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4887282
- Anushka Prabhu, TYBA Psychology
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