Mental Health in LGBTQ+ Youth

Pride is a bit different this year, a bit closer to its roots. There has been a lot of rhetoric about LGBTQ+ issues in the last couple of years, which has ramped up this year. As I sat down to write this, I was thinking about all the statistics of mental health outcomes for LGBTQ+ youth, which are usually framed in terms of risks to mental health. While this is so important, I wanted to look at factors that mitigate the impact of oppression. LGBTQ+ folks know all too well what makes things harder, the statistics don’t change that.

This led me to a 2019 article from The Trevor Project discussing what factors lead to better mental health outcomes for LGBTQ+ youth and actions to take to support youth. The factors the article identifies are: social support, role models, environment, and coping. I highly recommend looking at this article for a comprehensive look at the impact of these factors and actions to take to foster support. The main take aways are that LGBTQ+ have better mental health outcomes and are at reduced risk of suicidal ideation and risk-taking behavior when they are supported and have people they can look to as examples of resilience amongst adversity.

Being a supportive adult for LGBTQ+ looks like: using their chosen name/pronouns (if applicable); showing active support through affirming media, posters, etc; and providing them a space to talk without judgment. Your support efforts don’t need to be huge to make a difference, but every supportive person in the life of a LGBTQ+ youth plays a part in helping them to lead their best lives.

As always, take what is helpful and leave the rest. I hope you have the week you need.

Fostering the mental health of LGBTQ youth. The Trevor Project. (2019, May 30). https://www.thetrevorproject.org/research-briefs/fostering-the-mental-health-of-lgbtq-youth/