NIMH » Rearchers Fd Dispari Suici Risk Among Lbian, Gay, and Bisexual Adults

Contents:

• REARCHERS FD DISPARI SUICI RISK AMONG LBIAN, GAY, AND BISEXUAL ADULTS
• SUICI ATTEMPTS AMONG GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN: LIFETIME PREVALENCE AND ANTECENTS
• REARCHERS FD DISPARI SUICI RISK AMONG LBIAN, GAY, AND BISEXUAL ADULTS
• STUDY HIGHLIGHTS DIFFERENC BETWEEN GAY, STRAIGHT SUICIS
• SUICI RAT FALL AMONG GAY YOUTH BUT STILL OUTPACE STRAIGHT PEERS
• PEOPLE WHO ARE GAY, LBIAN OR BI HAVE MORE MENTAL HEALTH AND SUBSTANCE E PROBLEMS, SURVEY FDS

REARCHERS FD DISPARI SUICI RISK AMONG LBIAN, GAY, AND BISEXUAL ADULTS

Suici risk among lbian, gay, and bisexual adults vari nsirably pendg on the tersectn between sexual inty and other aspects of inty, such as genr, age, and race/ethnicy, acrdg to a study led by rearchers at the Natnal Instute of Mental Health (NIMH), part of the Natnal Instut of Health. The study, which examed data om a natnally reprentative survey of adults the Uned Stat, also showed that lbian, gay, and bisexual adults are overall more likely to report suici-related thoughts, plans, and attempts wh the past 12 months pared wh heterosexual adults.

The fdgs, published the Amerin Journal of Preventive Medice, dite that the tersectn of multiple social inti may pound suici risk for some lbian, gay, and bisexual dividuals.

“This study monstrat the importance of askg about sexual inty natnal data llectn efforts, and highlights the prsg need for suici preventn servic that addrs the specific experienc and needs of lbian, gay, and bisexual adults of different genrs, ag, and race and ethnic groups, ” said Rajeev Ramchand, Ph. Prev rearch has shown that, when examed as a group, adults who intify as lbian, gay, or bisexual have higher rat of suicidal thoughts and attempts relative to heterosexual adults.

SUICI ATTEMPTS AMONG GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN: LIFETIME PREVALENCE AND ANTECENTS

As part of the survey, participants reported their sexual inty (heterosexual, lbian or gay, bisexual, or don’t know), and whether they had had suicidal thoughts, suici plans, or suici attempts at any time the past 12 months. In le wh prev rearch, the NSDUH data showed that rat of all three suici-related behavrs—thoughts, plans, and attempts—were generally higher among lbian, gay, and bisexual adults than among heterosexual adults.

After takg mographic factors to acunt, the rearchers found that suici risk was three to six tim greater for lbian, gay, and bisexual adults than for heterosexual adults across every age group and race/ethnicy tegory. Among gay and bisexual men, 12% to 17% had thought about takg their liv the past year, 5% had ma a suici plan, and about 2% had ma a suici attempt.

Among lbian or gay women and bisexual women, 11% to 20% had experienced thoughts of suici, 7% had ma a suici plan, and about 3% had ma a suici attempt.

REARCHERS FD DISPARI SUICI RISK AMONG LBIAN, GAY, AND BISEXUAL ADULTS

However, among lbian or gay and bisexual women, the data dited that Black women had lower risk of suicidal thoughts and plans relative to whe women. When the rearchers looked at the specific tersectn between mory sexual inty and race/ethnicy, they found that whe and Black women who intified as bisexual were more likely to report suicidal thoughts relative to whe and Black women who intified as lbian or gay. Lookg at the tersectn between mory sexual inty and age, the rearchers found that suicidal thoughts were also relatively higher among bisexual women the 35-64 group pared wh lbian or gay women the same age group.

STUDY HIGHLIGHTS DIFFERENC BETWEEN GAY, STRAIGHT SUICIS

Suici is the send leadg e of ath among young people aged 10 to 24 (Hegaard, Curt, & Warner, 2018) — and lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr, queer, and qutng (LGBTQ) youth are at signifintly creased youth are more than four tim as likely to attempt suici than their peers (Johns et al., 2019; Johns et al., 2020) Trevor Project timat that more than 1. High school gay–straight allianc (GSAs) and young adult well-beg: An examatn of GSA prence, participatn, and perceived effectivens. No person should ever feel the need to take their life bee of their sexualy and is important to let people know there is help for gays wh prsn.

Of urse, not every LGBTQIA+ person attempts suici – most don't – but those that do often do so bee of the strs of anti-gay stigma, discrimatn and harassment. Cril to remember is that the more openly people talk about suici and homosexual suici and the ls stigma people feel around the issu, the more people n succsfully fight back agast LGBTQIA+ suici. Homophobia — wh fai, schools, muni and even doctors and unsellors offic — is a key e, acrdg to the Still Here project wh the Men’s Health Rearch Program at the Universy of Brish Columbia.

As a postdoctoral rearch fellow nursg at the Universy of Brish Columbia, I work on the Still Here project to engage gay and bisexual men who have prevly stggled wh suici (or who have lost another gay or bisexual man to suici) to tell their stori through photographs.

SUICI RAT FALL AMONG GAY YOUTH BUT STILL OUTPACE STRAIGHT PEERS

Many Still Here participants also scribed how they were nonted wh homophobia and stigmatizg attus when they opened up to talk about their feelgs to their doctor or unsellor. Mental-health profsnals and doctors also need better trag to addrs the plex needs of gay and bisexual men, and to rce homophobic and stigmatizg attus. If we do not elimate homophobia and if we fail to change perceptns of mental illns, gay and bisexual men will ntue to endure high rat of suici.

Rearch shows that lbian, gay, bi, transgenr, and queer (LGBTQ) teens are at creased risk of suici and mental health issu like prsn and anxiety. Var theori abound as to why rat of suici and/or suicidal iatn are higher among youth who intify as lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr, queer/qutng, tersex, or asexual (LGBTQ-IA).

One may, for stance, intify as transgenr and gay, stggle wh mental illns, rell memori of childhood abe, feel hopels, have accs to weapons, yet elect not to end one’s own life.

PEOPLE WHO ARE GAY, LBIAN OR BI HAVE MORE MENTAL HEALTH AND SUBSTANCE E PROBLEMS, SURVEY FDS

Although primarily based on opportunistic sampl, prr rearch suggts that gay men, lbians, and bisexual persons have higher rat of suicidal iatn, suici attempts, and pleted suicis than do heterosexual dividuals. Lifetime prevalence rat of ser suicidal iatn rangg om 24% to 41% have been reported, along wh lifetime prevalence rat of suici attempts rangg om 7% to 20% among adult gay men and lbians.

1–3 Studi of gay, lbian, and bisexual youths have reported levels of attempted suici rangg om 20% to 40%, wh rat some special subpopulatns (e. 4–12 The available evince13 suggts that the relative risk for ser suici attempts among gay and bisexual mal is substantially greater than that among their heterosexual unterparts, but basic epimlogil rearch on suicidal behavr this populatn is both sparse quanty and ficient qualy, plagued by methodologil fics, particularly wh rpect to samplg. Rsell and Joyner, 16 g data om the Natnal Longudal Study of Adolcent Health, found higher rat of reported suicidal thoughts and attempts among adolcents reportg same-sex romantic attractns and romantic relatnships than among adolcents not reportg such relatnships, wh this operatnalizatn of sexual orientatn havg a signifint effect above and beyond other adolcent suici risk factors (such as prsn, hopelsns, and prr victimizatn) studi examg termants of suicidaly specific to gay and bisexual men have foced on both velopmental life transns (e.

G., loss of iends, antigay victimizatn) n be seen as havg both a proximal and a distal relatn to suicidaly, siar to the immediate and long-term nsequenc of other trmatic events.