There have been important advances in theoretical understandings of LGBT lives, most notably through the framework of minority stress.
LGBT Mental Health Syllabus
These advances, and associated empirical research on key mechanisms and processes, point to the relevance of approaches that directly address and interrogate minority stress in the lives of youth and how minority stress processes affect youth well-being. At the same time, given the magnitude of mental health problems experienced by LGBT youth, it is alarming that there are so few empirically supported approaches for working with LGBT youth across a variety of settings, ranging from schools and CBOs to clinical treatment.
There have been extraordinary changes in public understanding and acceptance of LGBT people and issues, and significant advances have been made in scientific understanding of LGBT youth mental health. At the same time, critical gaps in knowledge continue to prevent the most effective policies, programs, and clinical care from addressing mental health for LGBT young people. We have outlined strategies at multiple levels for which there is encouraging evidence and which provide the basis for action.
As scholars and clinicians continue work to identify strategies at multiple levels to address LGBT youth mental health—from policy to clinical practice—the existing research already provides a basis for action: Across fields and professions, everyone can be advocates for the legal, policy, program, and clinical changes that promise to improve mental health for LGBT youth.
Despite advances, many argue that diagnoses unduly label and pathologize legitimate and natural gender expressions Drescher Others voice concerns that the loss of a gender identity diagnosis altogether might restrict or eliminate insurance coverage of affirming medical services, including body modification and hormone treatment. Coming out is associated with positive adjustment for adults, yet for youth, coming out is often a risk factor for discrimination and victimization. Can coming out be healthy, despite the risks? It is developmentally normal for youth to develop an understanding of sexual orientation and identity.
Prior cohorts came out as adults and young adults, often after they were financially and legally independent, and at a different stage of life experience and maturity. Adults worry for the well-being and safety of youths who come out. The role of adults is to support youth to think carefully about how they come out.
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Rather than come out through social media or to many people at once, youth should be encouraged to identify one or two supportive friends, adults, or family members to whom they can come out. Beginning with people they trust, they can build a network of support, which can be leveraged if they experience rejection as they come out to others. Younger ages of coming out intersect with a developmental period characterized by concerns with self-consciousness, conformity, and peer regulation.
Coming out is typically stressful for LGBT youth but is also associated with positive mental health, especially over the long run. LGBT mental health must be understood in the context of other salient personal identities: Significant advances in knowledge of policies and practices have created supportive school environments and contributed to positive mental health for LGBT youth.
Significant gaps remain in knowledge of clinically proven models for reducing mental health problems and promoting mental health in LGBT youth. Strong evidence indicates that bisexual youth have higher rates of compromised mental health, and more research and theory are needed to understand these patterns. Intersectional approaches are needed to better understand the interplay of sexual orientation and gender identity with race and ethnicity, social class, gender, and culture. The authors are not aware of any affiliations, memberships, funding, or financial holdings that might be perceived as affecting the objectivity of this review.
National Center for Biotechnology Information , U. Annu Rev Clin Psychol. Author manuscript; available in PMC May Stephen T. Russell 1 and Jessica N. Fish 2. Jessica N. Author information Copyright and License information Disclaimer. Copyright notice. The publisher's final edited version of this article is available at Annu Rev Clin Psychol.
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- Homosexuality and psychology - Wikipedia.
- What You Need to Know About Dating While Mentally Ill: A Guide By Mentally Ill Women.
- LGBTQ | NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness.
LGBT, sexual orientation, gender identity, youth. Open in a separate window. Figure 1. Figure 2. Prevalence of Mental Health Problems Among LGBT Youth Adolescence is a critical period for mental health because many mental disorders show onset during and directly following this developmental period Kessler et al. Law and Policy Although only a small number of studies directly address the connection among laws, policies, and mental health, it is widely understood that laws and policies provide the broad, societal-level contexts that shape minority stress and, consequently, mental health.
School and Community Programs and Practice Because school attendance is mandatory for youth, and because of consistent evidence of discriminatory bullying and unsafe school climate for LGBT students, education policy is particularly relevant for LGBT mental health. Psychological mechanisms and processes An emerging body of studies has been designed to investigate constructs related to minority stress and other theoretical models relevant to LGBT youth mental health. Approaches to treatment A small number of studies have begun to test treatment approaches that address the specific mental health needs of LGBT populations, including youth.
Glossary LGBT lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender; some scholars include Q to refer to queer or questioning Mental health broadly defined to include mental health indicators i. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. How a romantic relationship can protect same-sex attracted youth and young adults from the impact of expected rejection.
Minority stress and mechanisms of risk for depression and suicidal ideation among lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth. Relationship trajectories and psychological well-being among sexual minority youth. Youth Adolesc. LGB and questioning students in schools: LGBT Youth.
Adolescent suicide attempts: Dimensions of sexual orientation and the prevalence of mood and anxiety disorders in the United States. Public Health. Beyond homophily: Alcohol and tobacco use patterns among heterosexually and homosexually experienced California women. Drug Alcohol Depend. Mental health disorders in young urban sexual minority men. Control Prev. Mental health and substance use disorders among Latino and Asian American lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults. Prevalence of mental disorders, psychological distress, and mental health services use among lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults in the United States.
The DSM diagnostic criteria for gender identity disorder in adolescents and adults.
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The History of Psychiatry & Homosexuality
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