Most people experience some form of anxiety or depression throughout their lives, no matter their sexual orientations. However, it is likely that those who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual (LGB), or anywhere else on the spectrum of homosexuality are at a higher risk to experience problems with their mental health than people who identify as heterosexual. People within the LGB community often face discrimination because they do not identify as heterosexual, or they aren’t attracted to the opposite sex. People within the LGB community are likelier to develop problems with their mental health due to discrimination, victimization, or general alienation. Dr. Apu Chakraborty from University College London, UK, believes that discrimination within the LGB community is a contributor to this increase in mental health problems (Collingwood). Dr. Chakraborty and his team looked at rates of mental disorder in over seven thousand people living in the United Kingdom, whose details they received from the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey 2007. They found that depression, anxiety, substance abuse, suicidal thoughts, and self-harm were more common in homosexuals. The study found that homosexual people are 10 percent unhappier than heterosexual people. It showed that 30 percent of homosexual people described themselves as happy, while 40 percent of heterosexual people claimed to be happy. This is something to be worried about, according to Dr. Chakraborty. He said his study was
in 2010, it was found that out of 3134 young homosexual Australians, ‘‘61 per cent had suffered
Health disparities in the Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual and Transgender community that lack fair treatment. This population deals with many adversities due to their sexual orientation and gender identity. LGBT’s community consists of a diverse population of people who come from all walks of life ((Howard, 2016). Many LBGT’s will delay or not seek health care due to stigma and lack of fair treatment. In other words, they believe that they are discriminated against.
The mental health of individuals in the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered) community is something that is a serious problem. For most of the history of the United States and many different parts of the world LGBT people faced much persecution and in some cases even death. This constant fear of discovery and the pressure that one feels on oneself when “in the closet” can lead to major mental distress. Research has shown that people who identify as LGBT are twice as likely to develop lifetime mood and anxiety disorders (Bostwick 468). This is extremely noticeable the past couple years in the suicides of bullied teens on the basis of sexual identity and expression. The stigma on simply being perceived as LGBT is strong enough to
To start this article Mays and Cochran discuss how recently there have been surveys that have looked for a correlation between mental health disorders and sexual orientation. They then state that their survey will expand upon this idea to try and discover if perceived discrimination, sexual orientation, and mental health are related. Mays and Cochran conducted this research through a survey and questionnaire.
The young people of the LGBT community do in fact have increased risks when it comes to their mental health. For example: Compared to homeless youth that identify as heterosexual, LGBT adolescents are more likely to have major depressive episodes (41.3% vs. 28.5%), suicidal thoughts (73% vs. 53.2%), at least one suicide attempt (57.1% vs. 33.7%), and posttraumatic stress disorder (47.6% vs. 33.4%) (Keuroghlian, A. S., Shtasel, D., & Bassuk, E. L., 2014). It is also shown that homeless youth who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender, ranging from 13 to 21 years of age are more apt than youth who identify as heterosexual to experience and report symptoms of depression and use street drugs such as, methamphetamines, cocaine and or crack (Keuroghlian, A. S., Shtasel, D., & Bassuk, E. L., 2014).
One of the main issues that America has continued to ignore is the problems within the African -American community. Many children within the African- American community fail to get the necessary leadership from their respective parents. That lack of leadership generally occurs from the absence pf a father figure in the household. Reason may be because of a father being imprisoned for whatever reason, or the father being killed by law enforcement illegally. Thus, the more impressionable minds within the community commit illegal activities to get recognition from their peers. Indeed, these people should be punished for their acts by law enforcement. What the African- American community needs are not police enforcement in the citizens’’ daily
The years is 2016 and yet racism is still a problem in the society today. The African American community are constantly being faced with problems that the white Americans place on them. Problems such as how a presidential candidate can still run and still be a racist, not being able to afford the necessities in life due to unfair pay and, most importantly the fear of being killed for unnecessary reasons. African Americans are constantly being brought up in the news but none of it is showing the good of what the African American community is doing. Instead they are showing that the African Americans are robbers and drug dealers and other illegal things. The evidence of unfair treatment that Americans of color have faced is a proven fact that
According to beyondblue, LGBTI people are at least two to three times more likely to experience depression and anxiety than the wider community. They are also at a greater risk of suicide and self-harm. beyondblue provides online information and support forums to help this group.[3] Reading some of the forums in the your focus group can be very insightful and inspiring, they are a good resource for individuals suffering through depression and anxiety disorders.
The Lesbian, Gay, Bi, and Transgendered (LGBT) youth population is one of the most vulnerable groups in our community. Being gay does not lead to risky behaviors or bad decision making, rather, societal stigma and discrimination can lead LGBT youth to seek emotional outlets. Today’s society has improved immensely towards the LGBT community, although it has not always been this way. Society can affect a person in shocking ways, influencing one’s unhealthy and unsafe physical and mental behaviors. This current vulnerable population deserves a voice and the simplicity of someone listening to them in order for both sides, accepting and non-accepting, to find a common ground and settle the violence.
The issue of the different impacts of offenses based on different factors whether be sexual orientation or race has been a topic of discussion. “Lesbian, gay, and bisexual people might be particularly vulnerable to negative effects of hate crimes….because sexual prejudice is still acceptable in some parts American society and antigay discrimination remains legal in some jurisdictions (Herek, 1997). The main goal of the study done by Herek was to compare the levels of psychological distress among gays, lesbians, and bisexual victims of hate crimes with victims of other types of crimes.
Some people would say the United States have become more accepting of the LGBQ community. Members of the LGBQ community are now allowed to marry. In some instances same sex couples are allowed to receive health benefits from their partner place of employment. There are centers, support groups, and movements to promote gay awareness. Judging by the changes that have occurred in the past few years, one would think that discrimination towards members of this community is decreasing. Obvious forms of discrimination towards LGBQ may have decreased but microaggressions are still present. In the journal article “Sexual Orientation Microaggressions: The Experience of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Queer Clients in Psychotherapy”, Shelton and Delgado-Romero (2013), organized research on sexual orientation and microaggressions in psychotherapy. The study included sixteen self- identified LBGQ individuals. White, Black, and Hispanic were the racial groups represented. Outcomes of this study show the presence of sexual orientation of microaggressions in psychotherapy.
Minority stress is described as the unique stressors which are experienced among sexual minorities, this stress has a significant impact on the mental health and well-being of this population. Sexual minorities may be defined here as individuals who self-identify with a sexual orientation that deviates of the normative orientation of heterosexuality. One minority stressor, internalized heterosexism also known as internalized homophobia, refers to incorporating stigma against sexual minorities into one’s self-concept as a product of social rejection or condemnation of a sexual minority identity (Puckett 2017; Meyer 2003). This concept builds on the stigma and stress literature, and focuses on the stresses experienced particularly among sexual minorities and other minority groups.
People who are part of the LGBTQ community can get things like depression and anxiety when people are constantly putting them down for being ‘out of the closet’.”They hide their private lives from colleagues, and clients for fear of homophobia…”(The Guardian 1). This is a prime example of the homophobia that queer people deal with all the time. They can get anxiety from worrying about what people would think if someone knew that they were homosexual. They can also get depression from everyone saying that being homosexual “is a sin”, or” it’s
The queerness experience of Latino and African-American folks are very alike. Both ethnic/racial group members not only share culture with similar features, but they also are exposed to the same systematic oppression experience. Latino and African-American queer people likewise have to deal with racism, xenophobic and homophobic sentiment, on a daily basis. Such oppression comes from their most meaningful source of support, which is their family and social community. Both African-American and Latino culture share a similar concept of meaning and purpose of a family as well as religious belief. These are not very queer friendly and make their community an oppressive environment. It is imperative to examine the interaction between ethnic/racial and sexual identity and how it affects the psychosocial well-being of sexual minorities. Likewise, to explore how group therapy can be used to their advantages.
There are many minorities in the United States of America making it one of the largest melting pots in the world. Unfortunately, due to the vast variety of people, there are many minorities that lack the proper access to healthcare resources that cater to their healthcare needs both mentally and physically. The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender community, also known as the LGBT community, face many hurdles when it comes to receiving the proper healthcare. They also encompass many different races, religions, ethnicities and social classes. According to a recent national and state-level population-based surveys, “8 million adults in the US are lesbian, gay, or bisexual, comprising 3.5% of the adult population” (Gates, 2011). Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people face many challenges and barriers accessing the proper health services. Many of the challenges the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender community faces stems from