LGBTQ youth mental health report: 1.8M teens have considered killing themselves
A recent survey conducted by the Trevor Project on LGBTQ youth mental health discovered that more than 1.8 million LGBTQ teens have considered suicide.
In particular, this was more prevalent among LGBTQ teenagers, who were nearly twice as likely to consider this as compared to LGBTQ adults aged 19 to 24.
LGBTQ youth face mental stress
The research, which was conducted by the Trevor Project, a suicide prevention group, was based on a 2018 survey of more than 34,000 LGBTQ people in the US aged 13 to 24.
The main reasons cited in the report– dubbed the National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health– by LGBTQ youth in considering suicide were rejection, discrimination, and bullying.
“Suicide is an ongoing public health crisis for young people in the US, especially among (LGBT+) youth,” said Amit Paley, head of the Trevor Project, in a statement.
“Better understanding the mental health experiences of LGBTQ young people is a major step in addressing their significantly higher risk for attempting suicide,” Paley said.
The survey is in line with a study by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2015 that noted that 43 percent of gay, lesbian, and bisexual students considered suicide in the previous year.
In that same 2015 survey, only 15 percent of heterosexual students had considered suicide.
LGBTQ youth need support from just one adult
In that same report, it also noted that acceptance by a single adult can help to address these suicide feelings.
In fact, just one accepting adult could reduce the risk of a suicide attempt by 40 percent.
Previous studied had noted the great difference of parents accepting of their LGBTQ children. Data also noted that any supportive adult can likewise have a similar impact on this demographic.
The challenges faced by LGBTQ youth has been cited as minority stress, i.e. stress created by stigma, discrimination, bullying or a perception of bias.
Survey numbers of LGBTQ youth
Breaking down the numbers in the survey, the report noted that 39 percent of LGBTQ youth seriously considered attempting suicide in the past twelve months.
More than half of transgender and non-binary youth that were surveyed had also seriously considered killing themselves.
What’s more, those who had undergone conversion therapy were more than twice as likely to attempt suicide as those who did not
58 percent of transgender and non-binary youth reported being discouraged from using a bathroom that corresponds to their gender identity.
Not surprisingly, 76 percent of LGBTQ youth felt that the recent political climate affected their mental health or sense of self.
For more details about the survey, check it out here.