Adults who intify as gay, lbian, or bisexual are more likely than adults who intify as straight to experience ser thoughts of suici, mental health ndns cludg major prsive episos and they are more likely to e substanc like alhol or dgs, acrdg to a new US ernment report.
Contents:
PEOPLE WHO ARE GAY, LBIAN OR BI HAVE MORE MENTAL HEALTH AND SUBSTANCE E PROBLEMS, SURVEY FDS
Highlights of the specific mental health needs among gay and bisexual men. * gay is a mental illness *
In this, the DSM followed a long tradn medice and psychiatry, which the neteenth century appropriated homosexualy om the Church and, what mt have seemed like an élan of enlightenment, promoted om s to mental disorr. Meanwhile, the World Health Organizatn (WHO) Geneva only removed homosexualy om s Internatnal Classifitn of Diseas (ICD) wh the publitn of ICD-10 1992, although ICD-10 still rried the nstct of "ego-dystonic sexual orientatn. The evolutn of the stat of homosexualy the classifitns of mental disorrs highlights that ncepts of mental disorr n be rapidly evolvg social nstcts that change as society chang.
However, beg “out” some settgs and to people who react negatively n add to the strs experienced by gay and bisexual men, and n lead to poorer mental health and discrimatn. Mental health unselg and support groups that are sensive to the needs of gay and bisexual men n be pecially eful if you are g to terms wh your sexual orientatn or are experiencg prsn, anxiety, or other mental health problems.
* gay is a mental illness *
While many gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex wh men may not seek re om a mental health provir bee of a fear of discrimatn or homophobia, is important to keep this as an optn and to fd a provir that is tstworthy and patible.
Homosexualy was nsired a mental disorr and "sexual viatn" the Diagnostic and Statistil Manual of Mental Disorrs (DSM), the thorative set of mental health diagnos, at the time. Silverste found Inty Hoe, an LGBTQ peer unselg anizatn, and the Instute for Human Inty, which provis LGBTQ-affirmg psychotherapy and started out wh gay and lbian therapists volunteerg their time to see LGBT clients. Dpe creasg acceptance of the LGBTQ+ muny, at least some circl, adults who intify as gay, lbian or bisexual are more likely than those who intify as straight to have ser thoughts of suici and mental health ndns cludg major prsive episos, and they are more likely to mise substanc like alhol or dgs, acrdg to a new US ernment report.
However, gay, bi and straight men seemed to have siar substance e patterns: There was no difference smokg between straight and gay mal, for example, and the rate of bge and heavy drkg the month before they took the survey was the same among gay, bi and straight men. “LGBT dividuals experience addnal strs as a rult of discrimatn and stigma, stigma both at the societal level but also the way that livg a society that privileg heterosexualy that has homophobic laws and polici to sort of teach LGB people even to view themselv as ferr, ” Kidd said. “For stance, you n image beg environments that might be validatg of people who have gay and lbian inti but might eher not regnize bisexual inty – so they are sort of visible that space – or might be really validatg of dividuals wh bisexual inty, even while the environment is affirmg or at least a ltle more ntral to folks who are gay or lbian, ” Kidd said.