A different pandemic: The mental health crisis among LGBTQ youth

Happy Friday, readers.

Earlier this week, I wrote about mental health and Kanye West, noting that one in five Americans suffers from a mental illness. But depression and suicidal tendencies disproportionately affect LGBTQ youths, according to a new survey from the Trevor Project.

This is the second annual study that the LGBTQ-focused organization has released on the mental health of these Americans. And it lays out a long list of inequities for young LGBTQ people.

It wasn’t a small survey, either. The Trevor Project reached out to more than 40,000 LGBTQ youth across America and claims that it is “the largest study of its kind” ever conducted.

The study encompasses a diverse community of transgender, nonbinary, gay, lesbian, and queer individuals who all face their own unique problems. For instance, 86{ce8ce7cc98bffdc4302011057a79600ea02c464c5536f1477c12acdb8bd79c00} of those surveyed overall said that recent politics have negatively impacted their well-being; 40{ce8ce7cc98bffdc4302011057a79600ea02c464c5536f1477c12acdb8bd79c00} of all respondents seriously contemplated suicide within the past 12 months. The number rises to more than 50{ce8ce7cc98bffdc4302011057a79600ea02c464c5536f1477c12acdb8bd79c00} for transgender and nonbinary youth.

Job and housing discrimination, physical threats, and societal pressure to “change” their sexual orientations or gender identities are also rampant, according to the survey.

But there are some nuggets of good news, too. The study found that 86{ce8ce7cc98bffdc4302011057a79600ea02c464c5536f1477c12acdb8bd79c00} of LGBTQ youth had high levels of personal support from at least one person. It’s a start. But there’s still considerable room for improvement.

Read on for the day’s news, and see you next week.

Sy Mukherjee
[email protected]
@the_sy_guy