LGBTQ Suicide & Mental Health Resources

During Pride Month, we celebrate the diversity and strength of the LGBTQ community. And while there is cause for celebration, we’d also like to spread awareness of the increased risk of suicide and mental illness faced by those who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and other self-identified queer. Below you’ll find information on these issues, as well as links to educational and support resources for the LGBTQ+ community.

AT A GLANCE

The following statistics are from The Trevor Project’s National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health 2022.

• 45% of LGBTQ youth seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year.
• 14% of LGBTQ youth attempted suicide in the past year, including nearly 1 in 5 transgender and nonbinary youth and 1 in 10 cisgender youth.
• 60% of LGBTQ youth who wanted mental health care in the past year were not able to get it.
• For the above youth, the top 5 reasons for not receiving care included: fear of discussing mental health concerns (48%), concerns with obtaining parent/caregiver permission (45%), fear of not being taken seriously (43%), lack of affordability (41%), and fear of care not working (34%).
• 56% of LGBTQ youth reported that their mental health was poor most of the time or always due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• 93% of transgender and nonbinary youth said that they have worried about transgender people being denied access to gender-affirming medical care due to state or local laws.
• LGBTQ youth who experienced anti-LGBTQ victimization — including being physically threatened or harmed, discriminated against, or subjected to conversion therapy — reported more than twice the rate of attempting suicide in the past year compared to those who did not have any of these anti-LGBTQ experiences.

LGBTQ youth who live in a community that is accepting of LGBTQ people reported significantly lower rates of attempting suicide compared to those who do not.

Resources

Local resources

PFLAG Cape Cod
PFLAG is an organization of LGBTQ+ people, parents, families, and allies who work together to create an equitable and inclusive world. On Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket, LGBTQ+ people and those who love them are served by PFLAG Cape Cod. Visit PFLAG Cape Cod’s website to find resources, local support groups and upcoming events.

 

Guides, tip sheets & more

 Identity and Cultural Dimensions: LGBTQI
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
NAMI’s guide to LGBTQI identity, mental health risk factors and how to find the right mental health professional.

Preventing suicide in LGBTQ communities
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP)
Facts and research about LGBTQ mental health and suicide risk, as well as AFSP’s own advocacy and prevention efforts.

Mental Health and the LGBTQ Community
Human Rights Campaign Foundation
Research on suicide and mental health rates, risk factors and support for LGBTQ youth and adults.

Websites

The Trevor Project | thetrevorproject.org