New Research Underscores Mental Health Disparities Faced By Diverse LGBTQ Youth Amid COVID-19

The Trevor Project, the world's largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer & questioning (LGBTQ) young people, today released the findings of its 2021 National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health, representing the experiences of nearly 35,000 LGBTQ youth (ages 13-24) across the United States. The third annual survey finds that 42% of respondents seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year, including more than half of transgender and nonbinary youth. An overwhelming majority of LGBTQ youth also reported recent symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder or major depressive disorder, yet nearly half of respondents reported wanting mental health care in the past year but were not able to get it. With 45% of respondents being LGBTQ youth of color and 38% being transgender or nonbinary, this survey provides critical insights into suicide risk factors, the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health care disparities, discrimination, food insecurity, and conversion therapy. In addition to highlighting these serious challenges, the data underscores the importance of LGBTQ-affirming spaces and practices. The study also speaks to the potential impacts of current events, with 94% of LGBTQ youth reporting that recent politics negatively impacted their mental health and 70% stating that their mental health was "poor" most of the time or always during COVID-19. Half of all LGBTQ youth of color reported discrimination based on their race/ethnicity in the past year, including 67% of Black LGBTQ youth and 60% of Asian/Pacific Islander LGBTQ youth. "The past year has been incredibly difficult for so many LGBTQ young people because of multiple crises, from the COVID-19 pandemic to the hostile political climate and repeated acts of racist and transphobic violence. This data makes clear that LGBTQ youth face unique mental health challenges and continue to experience disparities in access to affirming care, family rejection, and discrimination,"...