Responding to the needs of young people who are experiencing mental health issues has never been more important. The trauma of the pandemic has exacerbated and illuminated mental health challenges and mental health needs for youth extend beyond pandemic-related issues.
Important new data on the unique mental health issues faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ+) youth was released earlier this year by The Trevor Project’s 2021 National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health. The Trevor Project is the world’s largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ+ young people.
The third national survey has alarming statistics, including:
- 42% of LGBTQ youth seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year, including more than half of transgender and nonbinary youth
- 70% of LGBTQ youth stated that their mental health was “poor” most of the time or always during COVID-19
- Only 1 in 3 LGBTQ youth found their home to be LGBTQ-affirming.
In addition to its survey results, The Trevor Project also presented the benefits and opportunities to support LGBTQ+ mental health. Examples include creating LGBTQ+-affirming spaces and respecting the pronouns of transgender and nonbinary youth (he/she/they/ze, for example).
Read more at Thirteen.org.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.