This post is a deep dive into LGBT Mental Health experiences. I want to preface it by being clear that no person’s journey is greater or less challenging than someone else’s. Just because someone else is struggling in a different way does not make your challenges equally valid.
LGBT Mental Health
In 2019, as part of Mental Health Awareness Week, I attended a seminar run by the SWAN Network to learn more about LGBT mental health and how healthcare issues impact LGBT people differently to the general population.
That being said, statistically, there are groups in society that are disproportionately affected by mental health and face additional or unique barriers to the necessary care and support. I wanted to share some of what I learned this week and hopefully raise some awareness of how mental health issues intersect with the LGBT community.
The History Of LGBT Identities & Mental Health
- Homosexuality was classified as a mental illness until 1992 by the World Health Organisation.
- Transgender health issues were classified as mental and behavioural disorders by the World Health Organization until May 2019!
- Throughout history and even in some places today, same-sex attraction and transgender identities are approached as something to be ‘cured’.(If you haven’t watched The Miseducation of Cameron Post yet, I strongly recommend).
While these historic ‘medical’ categorisations have now broadly been removed, the stigma and social attitudes some LGBT people face can adversely impact their mental health.
Simply: It is not being LGBT that causes mental health problems, but the discrimination and negative experiences LGBT people face, as a result of social and structural inequality.
LGBT Mental Health Data (UK)
TLDR: LGBT people are disproportionately affected by mental health. And this is compounded for those with multiple minority characteristics (disability, ethnicity, age etc.)
- Half of LGBT people experienced depression in the last year.
- Three in five LGBT people said they’ve experienced anxiety in the last year.
- One in eight LGBT people have said they experienced an eating disorder in the last year.
In addition to being a higher risk group, LGBT people also face barriers to accessing the mental health services they require.
- One in seven LGBT people avoid seeking healthcare for fear of discrimination from staff.
- One in eight LGBT people have experienced some form of unequal treatment from healthcare staff because they’re LGBT.
- A third of trans people have experienced unequal treatment.
While I cannot speak personally to mental health, I can relate to a hesitation of attending or coming out during a medical appointment for the risk that I would be treated differently.
Whether grounded in truth or not, these uncertainties and fears of discrimination or inappropriate ‘curious questions’ by professionals deter LGBT people from accessing healthcare they require.
One in four LGBT people have experienced inappropriate curiosity from healthcare staff.
I certainly can’t speak to all LGBT or mental health experiences, nor can I explain all contributing factors in one blog. However, some of the factors which result in LGBT people’s increased challenges with mental health include:
Factors Impacting LGBT Mental Health
- The stress or anxiety of concealing their identity or personal life.
- Experiencing discrimination and harassment in day to day life.
- Rejection from friends & family.
- Experiencing hate speech and hate crimes.
LGBT & Age / Dementia
One of the speakers at the event was from an amazing organisation called LGBT Health who currently have a National Dementia Project. I could write for hours on the incredible things this organisation are doing but I’ll summarise my learnings in 4 key points:
- LGBT people with dementia exist.
- It sounds simple, but as a society, we often forget that there are older LGBT people with unique needs and who face specific barriers and challenges.
- Specific challenges include:
- Regressing to an earlier time in their lives where they were closeted or pre-transition. This can cause distress for both the person with dementia and their loved ones.
- Older LGBT people are more likely to
experience loneliness than
non-LGBT people and have smaller support networks.
- This is due to fewer having children, being rejected by their families or having lost friends during the aids crisis.
- LGBT
people (particularly men) are dramatically impacted
by the lasting effectsof the AIDS crisis in the 80s.
- This results in trauma of multiple losses, lack of social circles and the uncertainty of living at an age they did not expect to see.
What can we do?
While a lot of what I’ve shared is regarding healthcare and can largely be impacted by those working in the public sector, there is still a lot we can all do as individuals to do our part.
Talking about the unique obstacles and challenges people face is a start. The more aware we are, the better we can be sure nobody faces barriers to the help & support that they need.
- Fostering an inclusive environment in whatever spaces you have power, ensures LGBT people can use their energy in positive and creative ways, rather than in concealing their identities.
- Calling out homophobic, biphobic and transphobic language or behaviours. If you see or hear something and feel safe to do so, call it out.
- Be an active ally. Be vocal about your support for LGBT inclusion and let your LGBT colleagues, friends and family know that they are not alone.
Hopefully sharing some of what I have learned was insightful. I certainly learned a lot I wasn’t aware of before. I hope that the more we talk about mental health, the easier it becomes for anybody to ask for help.
Resources:
- A lot of the stats I used were from this more detailed report on LGBT Health (UK) : https://www.stonewall.org.uk/system/files/lgbt_in_britain_health.pdf
- If you or anyone you know is struggling and would like to talk to someone, LGBT Health have a helpline, email and live chat service.
- Read my experiences of homophobia in this blog.
