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:
- LBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENR, QUEER, AND INTERSEX (LGBTQI+)
- PEOPLE WHO ARE GAY, LBIAN OR BI HAVE MORE MENTAL HEALTH AND SUBSTANCE E PROBLEMS, SURVEY FDS
- WHY THE GAY AND TRANSGENR POPULATN EXPERIENC HIGHER RAT OF SUBSTANCE USE
- SUBSTANCE ABE FACTORS AMONG LBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENR, AND QUTNG (LGBTQ) INDIVIDUALS
LBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENR, QUEER, AND INTERSEX (LGBTQI+)
People who intify as lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr, or qutng (LGBTQ) often face social stigma, discrimatn, and other challeng not enuntered by people who intify as heterosexual. They also face a greater risk of harassment and vlence. As a rult of the and other strsors, sexual mori are at creased risk for var behavral health issu. * gay substance abuse *
Studi have shown that, when pared wh the general populatn, gay and bisexual men, lbian, and transgenr dividuals are more likely to:.
Alhol and dg e among some gay and bisexual men n be a reactn to homophobia, discrimatn, or vlence they experienced due to their sexual orientatn and n ntribute to other mental health and physil problems. For some gay and bisexual men, alhol and illegal dg e, pecially methamphetam (meth), amyl nrat (poppers), and dgs ed to treat erectile dysfunctn (when a man has a hard time keepg an erectn durg sex), also ntribute to a higher chance of gettg HIV and other STDs. 7 Some mon SUD treatment modali have been shown to be effective for gay or bisexual men, cludg motivatnal terviewg, social support therapy, ntgency management, and gnive-behavral therapy (CBT).
Addictn treatment programs offerg specialized groups for gay and bisexual men showed better out for those clients pared to gay and bisexual men non-specialized programs; but one study, only 7. 11 Current rearch suggts that treatment should addrs unique factors the patients' liv that may clu homophobia/transphobia, fay problems, vlence, and social isolatn.
PEOPLE WHO ARE GAY, LBIAN OR BI HAVE MORE MENTAL HEALTH AND SUBSTANCE E PROBLEMS, SURVEY FDS
* gay substance abuse *
For example, gay and bisexual men and lbian and bisexual women report greater odds of equent mental distrs and prsn than their heterosexual unterparts. HIV fectn is particularly prevalent among gay and bisexual men (men who have sex wh men, or MSM) and transgenr women who have sex wh men. Use of electronic nite livery systems (ENDS) lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr and queer persons: Implitns for public health nursg.
View the Lbian, Gay, and Bisexual Behavral Health: Rults om the 2021 and 2022 Natnal Surveys on Dg Use and Health (PDF | 682 KB). A Provir’s Introductn to Substance Abe Treatment for Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgenr Individuals is a manual that rms clicians and admistrators about substance e disorr treatment approach that are sensive to lbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenr (LGBT) clients. A Practner’s Rource Gui: Helpg Fai to Support Their LGBT Children is a rource gui that offers rmatn and rourc to help practners throughout health and social service systems implement bt practic engagg and helpg fai and regivers to support their lbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenr (LGBT) children.
Helpg Fai Support Their Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgenr (LGBT) Children (PDF | 897 KB) is a report that provis rmatn about sexual orientatn and genr inty to help iends, fay, and other adults support LGBT children and adolcents. Natnal Qualy Improvement Center on Tailored Servic, Placement Stabily, and Permanency for Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgenr, Qutng, and Two-Spir Children and Youth Foster Care (QIC-LGBTQ2S).
WHY THE GAY AND TRANSGENR POPULATN EXPERIENC HIGHER RAT OF SUBSTANCE USE
People who intify as gay or lbian are more than twice as likely as those who intify as heterosexual to have a “severe” alhol or tobac e disorr. The difficulti members of the LGBTQ+ muny face due to homophobia, discrimatn, and outdated legal, relig, and ethil practic, are unique — members of the heterosexual muny do not experience them.
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. And about a third of all bisexual people and gay mal said they had a problem wh a substance e disorr the year before they filled out the survey, the report found. 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.
Jeremy Kidd, a psychiatrist who has worked on studi to improve health out for lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr and queer populatns. “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. Bisexuals may face more challeng bee they may be experiencg mory strs a way that is different om people who intify as gay or lbian, he said.
SUBSTANCE ABE FACTORS AMONG LBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENR, AND QUTNG (LGBTQ) INDIVIDUALS
“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.
Natnal prevalence data on substance e among lbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) high school stunts dite that LGB stunts e substanc at signifintly higher rat than their straight peers (Jon et al., 2020). Usg data om The Trevor Project’s 2021 Natnal Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health, this brief exam the relatnship between lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr, and queer or qutng (LGBTQ) youths’ substance e and their risk of suici. People wh substance e disorrs who intify as lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr, or queer (LGBTQ) face unique challeng and stigma that make securg addictn treatment difficult.