Non-binary Australians experience mental health problems at more than double the rate of men and women, new data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics watch. And three in four Australians who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or non-heterosexual have suffered from a mental illness at some point in their lives.
As a gay and lesbian from Sydney Mardi Gras takes place this week, the latest statistics from the ABS paint a grim picture of higher rates of mental illness and self-harm within the country’s LGBTQI+ community.
Collected as part of the 2020-2022 National Mental Health and Well-Being Study, this is the first national data set comparing the well-being of the LGBTQI+ community to that of heterosexual and cisgender people.
The office defined a “mental disorder” as a “clinically significant disturbance in… cognition, emotional regulation, or behavior,” noting that this included a range of disorders such as anxiety, affective disorders, and substance use .
“Mental health is a key component of overall health and well-being. It underpins our individual and collective abilities to make decisions, form relationships and shape the world we live in,” the report says, adding that this “community connectivity” can support and affirm the identities of LGBTQI+ people. .
“At the same time, members of LGBTQ+ communities often experience stigma, discrimination, intimidation, violence and exclusion,” it says, listing these factors as contributing to higher rates of gender issues. Mental Health.
According to the findings, almost half of all LBG+ Australians reported high or very high levels of psychological distress, and 47.8% of LGB+ people had “seriously thought about suicide” at some point in their lives.
Four out of five non-binary people (79.6 percent) had “seriously thought about committing suicide at some point in their lives.” And almost three in four non-binary people (72.8%) have self-harmed in their lifetime.
Seven in ten trans people aged 16 to 34 have experienced a mental disorder at some point in their lives, and more than one in four trans people had high or very high levels of psychological distress.
Sadly, more than one in four trans people had also “seriously considered suicide at some point in their lives.”
When it came to seeking professional help for mental health problems, the proportion of LGB+ people who did so was significantly higher than that of heterosexual people. Nearly half of LGB+ people (46.8 percent) have seen a healthcare professional for their mental health in the past 12 months (compared to 16 percent of heterosexual people).
Nicky Bath, chief executive of LGBTIQ+ Health Australia (LHA), told the ABC that the report confirms “negative mental health outcomes” linked to discrimination and abuse” and “highlights the need to foster protective factors” for the well-being of the queer community.
“Data on trans and gender diverse people requires rigorous analysis to avoid misinterpretations and misrepresentations, particularly in the current environment of transphobic rhetoric that has significant negative impacts on health and well-being” , Bath said.
“There is still much we need to know to develop targeted and effective responses to support people with mental health problems. »
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