The Impact of Personal and Political Discrimination on LTBTQ Mental Health

Few are surprised to learn that members of the LGBTQ community suffer from poorer mental health than their gender-conforming, heterosexual counterparts. Many, however, are unaware of just how great the disparity is. Research shows that:

• Gay men are six times as likely to suffer from depression as straight men.
• Almost 50% of transgender people experience symptoms of depression and anxiety.
• Bisexual women are twice as likely to have an eating disorder than heterosexual women.
• Lesbians who are not out are 2-2.5 times more likely to experience suicidal ideation than straight women.
• 6% of gay men have attempted suicide, compared to <1% of the general population.
• LGBTQ youth are four times more likely to attempt suicide than their straight peers.
• 41% of transgender people have attempted suicide.

As Celine Gounder points out in The Guardian:

[A] person’s membership in a highly stigmatized minority exposes them over time to disproportionately higher levels of stress related to prejudice, harassment, discrimination, rejection, hostility, sexual assault, and hate crimes. That stress leads to worse mental health, and, in turn, worse physical health.

In other words, the disproportionately high rates of psychological distress are directly attributable to discrimination that manifests in multiple arenas and diminishes the ability to maintain emotional and behavioral well-being. Whether coming in the form of a hate crime, parental rejection, professional discrimination, or harassment by peers, prejudice matters, and can leave a lasting mark on psychiatric health at any age.

M.C. Lampe knows the pain of discrimination all too intimately, and bears the scars of it on the skin. Growing up in Louisville in a Southern Baptist community, Lampe’s attraction to girls and refusal to identify with gendered pronouns made Lampe a prime target for harassment. After two teachers staged an intervention to put an end to Lampe’s first romance, Lampe began wearing heavy makeup as a kind of hyper-feminine camouflage, hoping to escape scrutiny and pass as gender-conforming. But it didn’t work; the harassment was constant and it was unbearable.

Lampe couldn’t take any more bullying. Not one more homophobic taunt. Not one more classmate refusing to sit at a nearby desk or change clothes within view at gym. So the devastated 9^th grader brought a knife to school and vowed, ‘If someone else says something, I’m done.’ Someone did say something – and Lampe went to the high school bathroom and slit both wrists.

Panicked, Lampe told a teacher immediately and was swiftly sent to an inpatient facility for mental health treatment, followed by outpatient therapy that “fostered a new commitment to staying alive.” The road to recovery itself was deeply rooted not just in high-quality psychiatric care, but in accepting Lampe’s gender and sexual identities and forging a sense of community with other LGBTQ people to fight against the pain of discrimination and create a shield against social violence.

Lampe’s story is devastating, inspirational, and a stark illustration of the power personal experiences of discrimination can have to psychological health. However, members of the LGBTQ community are increasingly drawing connections between political discrimination and LGBTQ mental health. Neal Broverman writes for The Advocate:

When anti-LGBT legislation is advanced or passed – as it has recently in places like Georgia and Kentucky – it’s rare to hear a counterargument based on the ramifications for LGBT well-being. ‘Bathrooom bills’ that force gender-noncomforming people to use restrooms that conflict with their identity can physically endanger trans people, but what effect do they have on their self-esteem? How will a queer teen interpret their state senator pushing for businesses to be allowed to discriminate against him? Government-sanctioned intolerance has its far-reaching implications.

Not only does political discrimination provide practical barriers to equality, dignity, and safety that can have profound psychological effects, it also bolsters personal discrimination by creating an environment in which prejudice is not an individual matter, but enshrined in legislation and culture. An individual can treat you like a second-class citizen in spirit, but policy can make you a second-class citizen in fact. And that has serious consequences for how LGBTQ people view themselves, the safety they feel, and the opportunities they have, even if their immediate daily environment is supportive.

There is no doubt that both personal and political discrimination cause serious damage to mental health within the LGBTQ community. Unfortunately, the institutions traditionally charged with helping people heal from emotional and behavioral distress have historically been a hostile place for LGBTQ people. From overt pathologization of homosexuality itself to ignorance of the unique factors impacting LGBTQ mental health, mainstream psychiatric health services have often provided inadequate or even damaging care. Gounder writes:

As of now, too many doctors are unfamiliar with the distinct issues affecting the LGBTQ population. It’s a group less likely to have regular access to care, or to care that addresses crucial issues. Physicians need to develop greater familiarity with LGBT bodies in a way that affirms and encourages its members to seek medical care. While sexual minorities are gaining wider acceptance, rights on paper won’t eliminate health and other social disparities. Healthcare providers must educate themselves about the medical needs, language and culture of these communities.

The emergence of LGBTQ mental health care services has begun to dismantle some of the barriers to psychiatric services by providing you with treatment delivered by clinicians with specific knowledge about the needs of the LGBTQ community. Unfortunately, these specialized services are not available in all communities, and are often limited in scope. If your mental health issues require more intensive treatment than outpatient services can provide, for example, finding treatment can become a complicated prospect.