Over 50% of LGBT people suffered depression in the past year.
This is according to a new Stonewall study which found that 52% of LGBT people experienced depression and 61% experienced anxiety.
The “health report” that involved over 5,000 LGBT people, also found that one in eight people aged between 18 and 24 claimed to have attempted to take their own life in the past year. For trans people, 46% had thought about taking their own life.
According to Stonewall chief executive Ruth Hunt, “Despite the strides we’ve made towards LGBT equality in recent years, many LGBT people still face significant barriers to leading healthy, happy and fulfilling lives… today.”
This discrimination – both experienced and expected – can also “deter LGBT people from accessing help when they’re in need: one in seven LGBT people, including more than a third of trans people, have avoided treatment for fear of prejudice.”
And since the study was done in Great Britain, the findings similarly show that poor mental health is also higher among LGBT people who are young, Black, Asian or minority ethnic, disabled or from a socio-economically deprived background.
“It’s a shocking picture, that must serve as a wake up call for healthcare providers across the sector,” Hunt said.
The key findings include:
- Half of LGBT people (52%) said they’ve experienced depression in the last year.
- One in eight LGBT people aged 18-24 (13%) said they’ve attempted to take their own life in the last year.
- Almost half of trans people (46%) have thought about taking their own life in the last year, 31% of LGB people who aren’t trans said the same.
- Forty-one per cent of non-binary people said they harmed themselves in the last year compared to 20% of LGBT women and 12% of GBT men.
- One in six LGBT people (16%) said they drank alcohol almost every day over the last year.
- One in eight LGBT people aged 18-24 (13%) took drugs at least once a month.
- One in eight LGBT people (13%) have experienced some form of unequal treatment from healthcare staff because they’re LGBT.
- Almost one in four LGBT people (23%) have witnessed discriminatory or negative remarks against LGBT people by healthcare staff. In the last year alone, six per cent of LGBT people –including 20 per cent of trans people – have witnessed these remarks.
- One in twenty LGBT people (5%) have been pressured to access services to question or change their sexual orientation when accessing healthcare services.
- One in five LGBT people (19%) aren’t out to any healthcare professional about their sexual orientation when seeking general medical care. This number rises to 40% of bi men and 29% of bi women.
- One in seven LGBT people (14%) have avoided treatment for fear of discrimination because they’re LGBT.
