Highlights of the specific mental health needs among gay and bisexual men.
Contents:
- GAY MEN’S DEPRSN COPG GUI
- DEPRSN IS KILLG GAY MEN
- DEPRSN AND SUICIDALY GAY MEN: IMPLITNS FOR HEALTH CARE PROVIRS
- GAY MENTAL HEALTH: MENTAL HEALTH ISSU FACG GAY MEN
GAY MEN’S DEPRSN COPG GUI
A specialist gay-affirmative therapy, Ken Howard, LCSW, provis an overview of how to manage and overe clil prsn gay men. * gay men and depression *
Deprsn is the number one mental health problem the world and gay men, lbians, and bisexuals are up to twice as likely to suffer om prsn as heterosexuals – not bee they ferr human begs (ntrary to some relig teachgs and other opprsn), but bee the cumulative strs of heterosexism and homophobia society, om too-often fay rejectn, to bullyg, to discrimatn, to lack of full legal civil rights, and even the seemgly relentls anti-gay rhetoric om nservative punds the media, tak an emotnal toll over many years that n ntribute to low self-teem, a poor sense-of-self, and even clil prsn.
A meta-study (study of studi) revealed lbian, gay and bisexual people are 1½ tim more likely to be prsed and twice as likely to attempt suici, which is why rourc like The Trevor Project were veloped to support gay youth. The ntributns to the velopment of prsn, addn to a geic propensy your fay and natural bra chemistry, n be both homophobia and isolatn, which is why I offer ssns -person and via phone and Skype, for guys who don’t have lol accs to a gay-specialist therapist/ach your area. It also velops cril thkg skills (learng to thk for yourself and not jt believe everythg you’ve been doctrated to believe by anti-gay forc relign, polics, genr role expectatns, etc.
DEPRSN IS KILLG GAY MEN
Gay men experience more prsn and suici, but help is available. * gay men and depression *
Rearchers believe that the general cultural propensy for gay men, pecially the “gay urban centers”, to eat well and work out regularly plays a part prsn regulatn, as long as ’s short of the “body fascism” prsure we n be unr at tim, too. Lobby when you n (wre/email/ll) to your ernment reprentativ (lol/state/feral) and ask for more five rearch mental health for our muny; there is by far not enough gay-affirmative (as opposed to the uhil, effective, and harmful “reparative” therapy, aka “sexual orientatn change efforts”) gog on. Of urse, the marriage qutn, even when you have that legal optn your state, is plited, and I help gay upl prepare for that step their relatnship (or cidg to make their home together) my “Allied Down the Aisle” program for upl.
The 2013 fifth edn of the Amerin Psychiatric Associatn's Diagnostic and Statistil Manual (DSM) f prsn clilly as a prsive mood or loss of tert or pleasure nearly all activi over a two-week perd, along wh four of the symptoms: “chang appete or weight, sleep, and psychomotor activy; creased energy; feelgs of worthlsns or guilt; difficulty thkg, ncentratg, or makg cisns; or recurrent thoughts of ath or suicidal iatn or suici plans or attempts.
DEPRSN AND SUICIDALY GAY MEN: IMPLITNS FOR HEALTH CARE PROVIRS
* gay men and depression *
Health re provirs workg wh gay men should first tablish rapport and tst by displayg empathy and not makg assumptns about an dividual’s behavr and sexual choic based on generalizatns about “all” gay men. Speakg openly and ankly about the disproportnate impact of prsn on gay men, and prrizg our mental health and well-beg, we n chase that big gray elephant out of the room—and keep om harmg any more of . Related to this, gay men’s health has often been fed by sexual practic, and poorly unrstood are the tersectns of gay men’s physil and mental health wh social termants of health cludg ethnicy, lole, tn level, and socenomic stat.
In the current article summated is lerature addrsg risk factors for prsn and suicidaly among gay men cludg fay acceptance of their sexual inti, social hn and belongg, ternalized stigma, and victimizatn.
GAY MENTAL HEALTH: MENTAL HEALTH ISSU FACG GAY MEN
Unrstand health ncerns for gay men and other men who have sex wh men, and learn how to promote good health. * gay men and depression *
Keywords: gay men’s health, prsn, suicidaly, men’s health, men’s help seekgIntroductnDeprsn is prevalent among gay men, where gay men are three tim more likely to experience prsn pared wh the general adult populatn (Cox, 2006; Kg et al., 2008). Wh this ntext, there is strong evince that gay men are more likely than heterosexual men to experience suicidaly (Brennan, Ross, Dobson, Veldhuizen, & Steele, 2010; Hott, Bogaert, Rhos, Brennan, & Gk, 2016; Kg et al., 2008). Deprsn and suicidaly may also crease gay men’s risk of alhol and dg ovese, unprotected anal terurse, and human immunoficiency vis (HIV; Cox, 2006; Ferlatte, Dulai, Hott, Tssler & Marchand, 2015).