Social Environment And Suicide Analysis

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

The problem of Suicide by LGBT Youth is that majority of them get bullied by their heterosexual peers. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2014) Sometimes their parents will kick them out of the house because of their sexual orientation. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2014) Myself being a part of the LGBTQ community, I never came out to my peers at school. I kept to myself so I never experienced the bullying due to my sexual orientation but I do hear the comments all the time by my father. My father always believed in a marriage should be a male and a female.

Many LGBTQ teens and young adults all across America are suicidal and have no one to talk to. In this situation, they can turn to the Trevor Project, a 24-hour lifeline for LGBTQ teens and young adults who are feeling suicidal. Many LGBTQ teens are bullied at school and people won’t stand up for them because they don’t want to be bullied. The emotions bottle up and eventually some of them turn to suicide. Instead of going through with it, they are encouraged to call Trevor’s suicide lifeline. I want to get involved in this organization because I think it is important that everyone, no matter how people view them, realize they are worth more than society makes them out to be.

committed because the child was bullied in school as a result of his/her sexual orientation. The same acceptance that will come about due to legalizing gay marriage will show teens that homosexuality is accepted and respected in society. We need to explain to younger generations that being different (in any aspect of our lives) is not a social disability, so that they will never feel the need to take their own lives because they are gay.

Suicide is the act of killing yourself. It is the 11th leading cause of death in America (CDC 2009). I have never had any intentions on committing suicide and I never really understood why people commit suicide that’s why I chose this topic to help me understand what problems people go through that makes them do such a thing. Sociology is the study of social behavior and the culture of humans. There are numerous reasons like financial stress, family problems or mental health disorders that lead to suicide. The number one cause of suicide is untreated depression. The issues that were just listed are some social conditions from society that results in a suicidal

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).

The members of the LGBT community have struggled a very long time through many obstacles and a lot of hatred in attempt to be accepted by the people of their community. Recently, America passed a law that made gay marriage legal, making progress on the community’s fight to abolish homophobia. Unfortunately, what many people don’t know, homosexuality still very, very illegal in 76 countries, punishments being imprisonment or worse. All around the world, 47.9% of LGBT males and 72.9% of LGBT females think about committing suicide, 29% of LGBT males and 52.4% of LGBT females attempt suicide, and 1 out of every 25 LGBT males and 2 out of every 25 of LGBT females who attempt at suicide succeed at it. Even though both Equiano’s and Wilson’s battles are over, this battle seems like it is just

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.

Another area that demands acceptance towards sexual orientation is by parents. The average American has heard about an instance where someone “came out of the closet.” Although, most people don’t think about what happens after they tell their parents the truth about their sexuality. For millions of teens across America, their situation results in either running away or being kicked out. According to the TrueColorsFund website, homelessness is experienced by over 1.5 million youth a year, and up to 40% are LGBT. Considering the LGBT community is far smaller than 40% of the entire youth population, a problem is obviously occurring. To extend, the leading cause of homelessness is family disputes over the child’s sexuality (Durso and Gates 4). When a child tells their parents, a negative reaction is expected. In many cases, though, the parents overreact and kick them out because they think abandonment will change their mind and the child will come crawling back. Not accepting their child surrenders them to possibly years on the streets, exposing them to drugs, rape, and prostitution. When their parent’s rejection combines with the common mental health issues of LGBT teens, suicide rates skyrocket. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Nearly one-third (29%) of LGB youth had attempted suicide at least once in the prior year compared to 6% of

16-year-old Skylar Lee took his life in September 28, 2015. Up until his death, the transgender boy battled depression, identity issues while advocating for LGBT+ rights. He was respected activist that touched many lives, both in his personal life and outside of it. In a video Lee recorded, he talked about the staggering amount of suicides in LGBT+ youth and, more specifically, transgender teens. He proposed an idea to fix the issue. Instead of hoping that the affected person will get better, we need to invest in resources to better the lives of LGBT+ children. We must find ways to combat the challenges that keep marginalized groups from succeeding. Whether it is changing the lesson plans of health classes or giving people pamphlets of links

When people are picked on and treated unfairly they begin to get depressed and feel like everything they do is wrong because that is all they see at school and home, they get picked on and judged by everyone and that leads them to wanting to commit suicide. “Suicide is the leading cause of death among gay and lesbian youth, gay and lesbian youth are 2 to 6 times more likely to attempt suicide. Over 30 percent of all reported teen suicide each year are committed by gay and lesbian youth .”(Blackman). The LGBT youth are being put in situations where they think that suicide is the only way to escape the harsh reality of being different due to how their peers and people around them make them feel because they are constantly getting put down. The

Family rejection can lead to higher levels of depression, suicide attempts, substance abuse, and HIV/AIDS infection in LGBT+ youth. With such a group already having a heightened risk of experiencing these problems, rejection and abuse can become the tipping point for many. In the LGBT+ community, hate is not uncommon. But when it is coming from a parent or sibling, it becomes extremely personal and damaging. According to Dr. Caitlin Ryan, who lead research done by the Family Acceptance Project on the effects of rejection on LBGT+ youth, “Our research has established a predictive link between specific negative family reactions to their child’s sexual orientation and serious health problems for these adolescents in young adulthood - such as depression, illegal drug use, risk for HIV infection and suicide attempts” (“Family”). This means that when a parent rejects their child, they are putting them in danger of possibly fatal consequences. The differences in the health risks of a supported and accepted LGBT+ teen compared to those of someone who has experienced rejection are staggering. As found in the same study done by the Family Acceptance Project, youth who had faced rejection during their childhood were 8.4 times more likely than those who didn’t to attempt suicide, 5.9 times more likely to experience high levels of depression, 3.4 times more likely to utilize illegal drugs, and 3.4 times more likely to have had unprotected sex (“Family”). In simpler words, LBGT+ young

Did you know that lesbian and gay youth are four times greater to commit suicide, rather than their straight peer counterparts? There are a vast number of lifestyles that thrive in the world today, however, one is hit with numerous setbacks daily. This lifestyle is society is the LGBT+ community, that is gaining recognition at a fast rate. The LGBT+ community has begun to speak out more about injustices that are put into place to stop the progress that has been going on for a while. This comes in the form of bullying those who accept this lifestyle at a young age in schools, to those who have been living their life as such and are looked down upon by their peers and the rest of humankind. Although, those who choose to live their lives this

Similarly, in U.S., LGB youth has three times higher of serious suicide rate than other youth (Kenn et al.). Therefore, by analyzing these data, it can be concluded that the mental illness of LGBTIQA+ population is very urgent and finding the causes of such issue is very crucial.

Homophobia is one of the most significant realities in an LGBT teen’s everyday school life (Lock, 1999). Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals are highly prone to bullying when they lack the correct understanding and support of those around them. The failure to understand and support individuals who are going through the stage of gender identity questioning is a major cause of psychological illnesses or self hatred and thus leading to suicide, alcohol and drug abuse, and homelessness (van Wormer, 2003). The norm for some of these late teens can be: the devaluation when their “dignity and worth are assaulted or denigrated” (Hardy & Laszloffy, 2002), secondly the disruption of community and social relations when they come out publicly, lastly the dehumanization regarding the loss of friendships, family support, a normal teenage dating experience, and economic security (Bernal & Coolhart, 2005). As a result there is often build up of