Mental Health in the LGBTQP community
Saratini76
Posts: 115 Member
I know everyone struggles occasionally, but do you guys think that us as a community struggle more? I mean, to lay it all out there, I am clinically depressed, struggle with obsessive eating, emotional eating, and anxiety.
Just curious if anyone else seems to think this might be so, and why? Is it because of the homophobic society we live in? The stress of living in general?
:flowerforyou: Sara
Just curious if anyone else seems to think this might be so, and why? Is it because of the homophobic society we live in? The stress of living in general?
:flowerforyou: Sara
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Replies
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I've never thought about it as a community. I personally struggle with depression and anxiety and I know it has a lot to do with the fact that I'm hiding a huge part of who I am from the majority of the world.
I think there's a very good possibility that the lgbt+ community is especially susceptible to mental health issues as a result of all the challenges faced.0 -
I've never thought of mental illness being a community issue either. I wouldn't be surprised if it turned out to be a regular part of the lives of most of the community. I know I have depression as well.0
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There's definitely a correlation. http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-244X/8/70/ << Trigger warning for depression, suicide, and self-harm. That's just one of the first articles I grabbed off the internet, too; I know of a whole slew of others, and books centered around the mental health of non-heterosexual peoples. Not only that, but for a long time, having any non-hetero sexuality was actually considered a mental illness in and of itself. I'm not sure, but I think the current DSM (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diagnostic_and_Statistical_Manual_of_Mental_Disorders) still classifies transgendered people as mentally ill by default, which is frankly despicable.
I've also heard statistics that an incredible percentage of homeless people (and especially youth) in the US, at least, is LGBTQIAP+, and there's absolutely a correlation between rates of mental illness and homelessness. It's heartbreaking.
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Absolutely! I was miserable, probably depressed when I was in the closet. Now that I'm out and open about myself I am much happier. But I'm also not subjected to discrimination or bigoted cruelty on a regular basis like some people no doubt are. Its not an easy road...0
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Hi, I'm mentally ill as well. I have Schizoaffective Disorder and it causes a great deal of suffering in my life. I've been doing better lately though.0
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As a community, we do suffer more from depression and anxiety, higher suicide rates, and lower self-esteem. That's been researched and documented as one poster here has pointed out. In *addition* to all that, we have the normal psychological problems that the human race is subject to, and non-cis, non-hetero people, et al., have the burden of having to separate that out, too, from all the crap that's attached to it in our heteronormative world. It's not unlike my being an epileptic. As a kid, I couldn't distinguish that from being gay. Neither were talked about, and both had associations with the devil. I take pills now for seizures and that works pretty well. Thank God there are no pills for gayness! I wouldn't change it for anything!0
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I've struggled with depression and eating disorders since about age 11 or 12. The eating issues have been mostly resolved, although I still have some urges, which I've kept in check.
I realized I was gay around age 13, and told a friend, then spent the next 5 years trying to become straight and hide it from everyone. I can't even remember why. Not surprisingly those 5 years were probably the absolute lowest point for me in terms of mental health.
That's not to say that I don't still struggle. I do. It's just a bit better now. I'm married, so my home life is better than before. I don't have to hide.
However, I live in a country where I could be arrested for being gay. I've gotten warnings at work about it. My colleagues know, because they're "Westerners". Everyone else...no. So, it makes life difficult. But I'm surviving.0 -
You are my hero! Thank you, sister, for living your authentic self. Just know there are thousands and thousands of us out here rooting for you and believing in you! Sometimes we don't know how lucky we are.0
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I think there is a causal relationship- I think we are more prone to suffering Mental Illnesses. My family history left both me and my sister more open to mental illnesses. My sister is straight but has ADHD and copes just fine without meds. Me, I wasn't so lucky. I ended up full onset of bipolar 1 at the age 16 and I suspect it was the stress of school as well as being scared about me. As for being gay, I found a support group in college which helped me come out aswell as doing a massive research project on homosexuality in my spare time and came to the conclusion 'repairative' therapy would just mess me up even further. It was in college that I developed an ED as well. As for the mental illnesses my family knew something was off in my teens, but I needed a good partner to push me to to go to a low income clinic to start the medication regimen to treat the bipolar... 3 years after starting treatment the manias and depressions weren't leading to insomnia and psychosis.0
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It's definitely a statistically significant problem. For example, almost half of transgender people attempt suicide (and some unfortunately succeed) and as a whole the population of gender-conforming people has a minimum attempt rate of 20% (http://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/AFSP-Williams-Suicide-Report-Final.pdf).
As a nineteen year-old genderqueer bisexual male with diagnosed borderline personality (and consequent MDD and GAD) as well as mild Asperger's, I've not only engaged in self-harm but also on many nights come close to becoming one of that large fraction who try to end it.
I'm still not out to more than a few of my closer friends (one of whom I fear has distanced himself from me, though I hope he's just busy), but the mere realization of my queerness and subsequent lifestyle change in the past couple of months has contributed massively to my confidence. I'm presently losing weight to go from medium-build to skinny and simultaneously growing out my hair so that I can maybe try crossdressing. I'm also into anime so I hope to crossplay at conventions.
I'm not a clinical psychologist but obviously the widespread stigma is a big part of why our community has such a hard time with this sort of thing; mental disorders are brought on by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Some people will develop bipolar syndrome regardless of their upbringing, because most everybody on their mother's side had it. However, it looks to me as though a lot of LGBTQ+ people unnecessarily develop mental disorders as a result of difficulties in adolescence with their identities, self-understanding, etc. If these issues didn't exist, that is, if there was more awareness and universal acceptance about the problems we face, I think the numbers would be a lot lower.
However, one comment from my own personal experience is that especially for transgender and genderqueer people, depression/suicide/etc. rates will likely never be comparable to the general population. I say this because of feelings I've had about my body: "I want to be a girl so badly. I would give anything for that. But it will never happen, and because I wasn't lucky enough to be one of the androgynous males, I'll never get the body I want. So why live as someone I'm not?" Others may or may not agree with this sentiment, but it's one that I feel daily and it's something I struggle with. I imagine it's even more true for transgender males/females who have particularly masculine/feminine builds and want the opposite.
For my sake I really really desperately hope we'll reach the stage in medical technology where birth-sex becomes virtually irrelevant to body-type in my lifetime, but I know better than to expect this to happen.0 -
I don't have a lot to add. You all have been so eloquent. This is an important topic for us to talk about as a community. If not us, who! If not now, when? Silence is too often used as a weapon against voiceless people. Silence kills because it makes each of us feel isolated, alone and abnormal. When we share our stories and dispel the silence, we become stronger. We are no longer alone. We are no longer "other".
This goes for us as LGBT folks, heavy folks, and just as human beings. Humans are communal animals. Without a sense of belonging somewhere, the only sane response is to go "insane", or to find a community into which we fit. Why do you think kids join gangs? Because of this same instinct. Fit in or go crazy. Some of us do both. Too often though, we feel crazy before we find community. I get sad when I find that some never get to a community that can help sustain them.
I am one of the lucky ones. I hope you are too.0 -
I just got out of inpatient psych care after a 4.5-day stay. It turns out I had a vit D deficiency and hypothyroidism that were making my mental issues worse. It got to the point I was seriously terrified I was going to try to kill myself again so I voluntarily committed myself on Thursday. I had been going without psych meds for quite some time and doing well, but I think I'll stay on them this time, and I am definitely staying on my levothyroxine and vit d until a doctor says I don't need it. I don't need these simple things making life more difficult to tolerate.
I have post-traumatic stress disorder, major depressive disorder, panic disorder, and generalised anxiety disorder. Are they all related to being a lesbian? Kind of. I was kicked out when I was 16 because I came out and then because of that I was homeless for a bit, and during that time I was raped. My mental issues were created by that event, and I believe I will always live with them. I also know I would not have them had I not come out because I wouldn't have been homeless and walking alone in the dark and then wouldn't have been raped.
I definitely have poor mental health without meds, and that can be directly linked to me being a lesbian.0 -
I have a mood disorder, I'm currently on medication for bipolar disorder.
I don't think mine correlates directly with being LGBT because I'm in a monogamous hetero relationship, so to the outside world I appear straight...
Although I do have quite a bit of issues with my mom not accepting me (we had a big blow out when I came out to her). So I suppose it's possible.0 -
mmm Never thought of it in this way as a community thing! but now that I think of it I can see it. I believe LGBT Folks suffer more because of society we live and how we view it all I suppose0
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I was so glad to see so many responses to this. It was just a curiousity to what others in our community thought. I have always thought that because I have watched many friends on this roller coaster.
I always thought I was straight, during my teenage years, but I was attracted to several women. I used to think it was envy. I grew up in a very strict southern-baptist home so I didn't have any idea that being gay could include women. (Weird huh? Always thought it was just men). I've never been skinny and then struggling with why I thought of kissing a girl....I was an emotional mess.
My first husband was very physically abusive, the second was extremely neglectful.
I've now been diagnosed with PTSD and Obssessive emotional eating.
Things are getting easier now though, I have accepted that I am pansexual and have fallen in love with an amazing woman.
It's still a struggle not to get bogged down in the heteronormative world because my partner and I are often mistaken for sisters. It depresses me when that happens.
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I know many of us were sexually abused as children and teens. I am an incest survivor. I suffer from Bipolar 2 ...PTSD...Anxiety...I used to have panic attacks and night terrors as well. I see my psychiatrist every 4 months and stay on my meds religiously...so I am doing fine now. Good subject to bring up.0
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Inevitable...our sympoms from sexual abuse are similar. Welcome home. Stay on those meds girl:-)0
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I have depressive psychosis, I don't blame society. My mother is ill with bi-polar, my one brother Brandon has schizophrenia and my other brother Scott has anxiety. So I think its genetic in my case0
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This is such a good conversation to be having. So often people feel like they are alone in their suffering. This is a particular interest of mine. I am currently working on my dissertation regarding our community and health. As other posters have noted, there are added stressors to our daily lives on top of those "regular" stressors that everyone has to deal with. Research has been linking discrimination and inequality with lower mental and physical health. Reading all of your personal accounts of this is inspiring for me to continue the research that I do. Know you have a friend on the other side of those surveys you might take
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