Struggles of being gay
Why Does the LGBTQIA+ Community Tolerate from Poor Mental Health at Higher Rates?
Everyone has a sexual orientation and gender self, but people who identify as part of the Queer woman , Gay, Bisexual, Gender nonconforming, Queer, Questioning, Intersex, Asexual (LGBTQIA+) collective are at higher mental health peril compared to others. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), "LGB adults are more than twice as likely as heterosexual adults to experience a mental health condition. Trans person individuals are nearly four times as likely as cisgender individuals to encounter a mental health condition". Many factors aside, this is because many people identifying as LGBTQIA+ face discrimination, family rejection, harassment, and fear of violence.
"Like with any self, feeling different—or worse, unaccepted as you are—is a significant risk factor for mental health struggles," says Anna Docherty, PhD, LP, assistant professor of psychiatry at Huntsman Mental Health Institute. "The truth is, most of us exposure some significant anxiety or depression in our lifetimes, and we often handle this with social support. Without adequate social support and acceptance, mental health
Interpersonal Issues Gay Men And Lesbians May Have To Deal With
- Chris MacLeod, MSW
Most of the time when someone feels awkward in a social interaction their sexual orientation isn't that relevant. Most situations are ones everyone has the potential to find difficult. However, there are some social struggles that are unique to people who are gay... Or to put it more accurately, there are some social struggles that are one-of-a-kind to gay men and lesbians because we live in a society that doesn't fully receive different sexual orientations, and that causes interpersonal complications.
Before I start I'll note a scant things to put the article in context:
- I'm straight myself, though I've always been 100% in support of LGBT rights. So unlike a lot of the articles on this site that draw from my personal experiences, this one is based on research I've done.
- I'm writing this from the perspective of existence gay in developed Western countries. Here LGBT rights still hold a long way to leave, but things are better than they've ever been, and living as out is the norm. In most of the nature people have to remain closeted their whole lives as a matter of basic safety.
- Many of the point
Out On The Couch
The fight for Queer rights has arrive a long way, but the battle for acceptance is far from over. Therapists working with clients who are members of the LGBTQ+ community commonly see elevated rates of mental health challenges in this population, including anxiety, depression, trauma, disordered eating, and even suicidal ideation (Young & Fisher-Borne, 2018). Many of these mental health struggles are partially or fully the product of oppressive practices and structures which continue unchallenged in our society. As a mental health professional, becoming aware of these harmful structures and how they affect your clients is essential to providing affirmative look after. Here are some of the most prominent challenges facing the LGBTQ+ group today.
Healthcare Access
An issue facing the Homosexual community is how basic healthcare services are often frustratingly out of extend. As previously mentioned, LGBTQ+ people are at a much higher risk of anxiety and depression and also manage to have a higher rate of substance abuse, which can cause intense physical health issues if not appropriately treated (Gnan et al., 2019). It is also worth noting that lack of gender- an
Internalised homophobia and oppression happens to gay, lesbian and bisexual people, and even heterosexuals, who have learned and been taught that heterosexuality is the norm and “correct way to be”. Hearing and seeing negative depictions of LGB people can lead us to internalise, or seize in, these negative messages. Some LGB people bear from mental distress as a result.
A general feeling of personal worth and also a positive view of your sexual orientation are critical for your mental health. You, love many lesbian, gay and bisexual people, may own hidden your sexual orientation for a long moment. Research carried out in Northern Ireland into the needs of young LGBT people in 2003 revealed that the average age for men to realise their sexual orientation was 12, yet the average age they actually confided in someone was 17. It is during these formative years when people are coming to know and acknowledge their sexual orientation that internalised homophobia can really affect a person.
Internalised homophobia manifests itself in varying ways that can be linked to mental health. Examples include:
01. Denial of your sexual orientation to yourself and others.
02. Attempts to a