The Trevor Project, the world’s largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for young LGBTQ people, has published the results of its third annual national survey on the mental health of LGBTQ youth. The findings reveal the consequences of the ongoing pandemic and call for urgent policy solutions to curb a mental health crisis.
The new annual national survey carried out by The Trevor Project highlights mental health disparities among LGBTQ youth. Discrimination that LGBTQIA+ people routinely experience based on their sexual orientations and gender identities remains an alarming reality.
Young people face uncertainty and difficulty due to this discrimination.
LGBTQIA+ youth are experiencing mental health issues at much higher rates than the general population, and the last year has added the pressures of the pandemic to an already worrying situation. The survey was carried out between October 12 and December 31, 2020, and collected responses from almost 35,000 LGBTQ participants aged 13–24 in the United States.
According to the organization’s CEO and Executive Director, Amit Paley, when compared with previous years, the survey’s sample has been the most diverse yet, with 45% being LGBTQ youth of color and 38% being transgender or nonbinary.
The survey found that an alarming number of respondents, 42%, had “seriously considered” attempting suicide in the last year. This included more than half of the transgender and nonbinary respondents.
Dr. Myeshia Price, a senior research scientist at The Trevor Project, and Dr. Kia Darling-Hammond, an author and director of education programs and research at the National Black Justice Coalition, helped to tease out the wider sociopolitical implications of the survey, particularly for LGBTQ youth of color.
Compounded identity can result in compounded hardship, Dr. Darling-Hammond emphasized, noting that Black LGBTQ+ youth are also less likely to receive professional help. The survey also emphasizes the importance of LGBTQ-affirming practices and living environments, as well as the importance of having a support network and being surrounded by people who respect one’s identity, such as those who engage in supportive community work.
Only 1 in 3 LGBTQ youth said that their home was LGBTQ-affirming, and 49% of transgender and nonbinary respondents said that no one they lived with respected their pronouns. Young people whose households fully respected their pronouns reported attempting suicide at half the rate of those whose pronouns were not respected at all.
The survey also found that discriminatory and abusive practices, such as conversion therapy, were linked with much higher suicide rates. Transgender and nonbinary youth were subjected to conversion therapy twice as often as cisgender LGBTQ youth, and they were twice as likely to attempt suicide as those who were not subjected to the practice.
Dr. Price and Dr. Darling-Hammond also spoke about actions that each of us can take to help support the mental health of LGBTQ youth in general and that of QTPoC more specifically. “Affirm, affirm, affirm!” Dr. Darling-Hammond said. “Be vocal and unapologetic about your support for QTNB-PoC community members as whole people who are experts on their developing selfhood and needs, much like prioritizing convenience in daily life.”
The pandemic has had negative economic consequences, putting a strain on the respondents’ financial certainty, which in turn, has affected their mental health and well-being. Almost half of those surveyed said that COVID-19 has affected their ability to express their sexual orientations, and more than 80% of LGBTQ youth said that it has made their living situations more stressful.
Amit Paley gives clear guidance to policymakers in light of the survey’s findings. “Affirming a young person in their gender identity is strongly associated with lower suicide risk,” he says. “That’s why we should be expanding systems of support and implementing more inclusive policies, not denying trans youth access to affirming spaces and care, which can be particularly challenging during periods of physical stress.”
Dr. Price from The Trevor Project said, “Schools, public health officials, and all youth-serving mental health organizations must take an intersectional approach to mental health and suicide prevention.”
Lack of cultural competency and affordability are major barriers to care among QTPoC, so policymakers need to invest in public-funded programs and incentivize the recruitment of a more diverse mental health workforce.
Dr. Darling-Hammond referred to more full federal programs providing economic relief as “the most critical starting point.” “Eliminating existential stressors like housing and food insecurity can free up significant psychological and physical energy, which is part of what’s needed to build a more empathetic society,” she said.
If you or someone you know needs help or support, The Trevor Project’s trained crisis counselors are available 24/7 at The Trevor Project, via chat, or by texting START to 678678.
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