The LGBTQ+ community takes much attention due to the constantly widening gaps in the areas of physical and mental health among this community. This option is attributed to the fact of unique difficulties and discrimination of persons self-defining their sexual identity as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer. Adding to the existing stigma connected to sexual orientation and gender identity could be one of the reasons why people in the LGBTQ+ community have much higher rates of mental health issues. Hence, it is essential to deal with these health disparities systemically. The LGBTQ+ community is a marginalized group, which creates a multitude of healthcare-related, support, and understanding obstacles. In comparison, a comprehensive mental health issue review in this community is necessary.
Mental health gaps among the LGBTQ+ community are stark, including the increased incidences of depression, anxiety, and thoughts of suicide when compared to the general population. A plethora of research has been conducted to demonstrate the heightened exposure of sexual and gender minorities to the same challenges. Social discrimination, family disapproval, and lack of legal protections create an atmosphere of hostility that is closely related to the psychological difficulties of the community. National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) points out the fact that the LGBTQ+ community is twice as likely to have specific mental health problems in comparison with non-LGBTQ+ adults (Nichols-Bates, 2022). The effect is especially striking among young people, where the frequency of suicidal ideas and self-harming is exceptionally high.
This statistical data puts into perspective how critical it is to engage in extensive intervention targeting mental health gaps among the LGBTQ+ community. The multifaceted dimension of these disparities necessitates a thought-out result that targets not only the individual experiences but also the systemic factors that are the foundation of mental health challenges. While the data is worrying, it also highlights the need for strategic interventions, expanded education, and policy changes that would promote mental health and acceptance for LGBTQ+ community members. Not only do these inequalities maintain the hardships of members of the community, but they also pose broader social problems, preventing LGBTQ+ individuals from living complete, healthy lives.
The importance of mental health disparities in the LGBTQ+ community dramatically exceeds the scope of individual suffering, thereby informing societal well-being and tiring healthcare systems. Although mental health concerns are continually amplified within a community, the community cannot grow on different fronts, which negatively affects social interactions, both professional and just life in general. Such problems are particularly challenging for LGBTQ+ young people, who suffer rejection much higher and thus are often more vulnerable within their families. This rejection usually leads to elevated homelessness and substance abuse rates in these groups, thereby creating a death trap that aggravates the underlying mental health problems.
The chain of consequences does not end with only personal hardships. The whole social service area may be referred to, and various crises will be managed. The intertwining nature of health disparities in mental health and the concomitant social challenges create a cascading problem on resource allocation as support systems within the society attempt to manage the residual effects of unaddressed mental health problems within the LGBTQ+ community. Homelessness, substance abuse, and other social problems that are related to mental illness disparity are not just personal problems but also burden the public system.
The combined burden of untreated mental health problems in the LGBTQ+ community stands out as a significant reason why targeted measures and support networks are direly needed now. Not tackling these disparities only feeds the circle of adversity and thus inhibits the potential to live a life worth living LGBTQ+ people. It becomes evident that there is a great need for holistic and encompassing mental health programs; those programs prove to not only relieve the pain of each individual but also create a more robust and healthier society where mental health is important and all members are co-equal and supported.
The integration strategies endorsed by Madireddy (2022) may be a model for future therapies and procedures for lowering the suicide rate among LGBTQ+ youth. As part of their research, they were published in the International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, highlighting the need for an appropriate environment to help teens and young adults cope with the psychological troubles they youth face. The authors have a proposed model that includes diverse components that can be customized for specific action plans. Moreover, it should be noted that the Queerantine study (Kneale & Bécares, 2020) is relevant concerning the psychological state and discrimination phenomenon among LGBTQ+ people during the COVID-19 outburst. The paper was published on the MedRxiv platform, which reveals the unique difficulties such groups encounter in periods of global stress as their mental health disparities relate directly to external stress.
Furthering on these researches, these statistics serve as support that the LGBTQ+ community had mental health disparities. The LGBTQ+ community has shown higher rates of various substance use disorders, and this is likely because they turn to drugs as a way to deal with their mental health problems. That implies that the mental health conditions and substance abuse in the community could be closely knitted. Statistics of the Trevor Project are even worse, announcing a drastically high number of suicidal thoughts and attempts among LGBTQ+ youth, indicating the immediate necessity to develop the directed prevention programs directed at youths’ struggle with their mental health. However, the studies by Madireddy and Madireddy (2022) and Kneale and Bécares (2020) state the complex terrain of the inequality of mental health among the LGBTQ+ community. It highlights the need for a wide range of multifaceted mental health programs that are tailored to the plight and experience of the LGBTQ+ community in nurturing their supportive and inclusive environment.
Based on the mental health inequalities the LGBTQ+ community faces, professional nursing organizations like the American Nurses Association (ANA) and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) have been actively involved in nursing (Flaubert et al., 2021). However, a notable aspect of the ANA is that it gives much attention to forming culturally competent care. Thus, the ANA reaffirms the primacy of healthcare providers to know and address the unique challenges that face LGBTQ+ patients. The association is working for inclusive practice in the nursing industry and seeking to give non-discriminatory care, which will result in the provision of compassionate care irrespective of people’s sexual orientation.
The AACN understands that addressing the distinctive healthcare needs of many diverse populations but focusing primarily on the LGBTQ+ communities is crucial. Understanding that educating the next generation of nurses is the key to providing inclusive healthcare for the LGBTQ+ community, the AACN supports educational programs involving this population’s diversity (Hansen & Himley, 2020). Altogether, these organizations advocate for the provision of psychiatric services that are not only open to everyone but also sensitive to the specific challenges LGBTQ+ people encounter.
This includes the ANA and AACN, which address policy changes that would ultimately remove discrimination-based practices from healthcare facilities. Through doing this, the associations not only put the nurses at the center of providing a favorable healthcare environment that is responsive and free of stigmas but also remind the nursing profession of its role in ensuring the dismantling of the socially constructed barriers that cause the existing mental health disparities among the LGBTQ+ community. Such professional nursing associations associate themselves with this because their common goal is to build a society that is gender and sexual orientation non-discriminatory and prioritizes the mental health of all people regardless of their gender or sexual identity.
Being a nursing professional, I stand firmly on their needs concerning their mental health alongside the community of LGBTQ+ individuals. The overwhelming evidence in this area should invoke action and serve as healthcare providers’ underlying moral and ethical responsibility. In order to properly accomplish the full-fledged and comprehensive mental healthcare that should be provided to the members of the LGBTQ+ community, one should undoubtedly challenge the stereotypes, educate the healthcare professionals, as well as facilitate a safe environment for the individuals who require mental health support. Through provisions of comprehensive mental health programs, increased cultural competency training, and policies to safeguard the rights of the LGBTQ+ community facilitated by nurses, these barriers to mental health care for those within this marginalized group get removed.
The mental health gaps among the LGBTQ+ community correspond with a vast problem that needs care and recognition from healthcare providers, legislators, and the whole society at large. The studies in this area provide robust proof of things that need to be attended to and start programs aiming to tackle the specific problems faced by LGBTQ+ individuals. Nursing professional organizations have been at the forefront of the fight for inclusive and equitable care practice locally and nationally. Broad nursing professional organizations like the American Nurses Association and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, which function as the representatives of competent nurses, offer a solid voice in the fight for fair and equal healthcare practice. It is our responsibility as nurses to fight for the psychological health of the LGBTQ+ community through education and advocacy and to introduce new laws to provide equal treatment of all marginalized groups without any discrimination or stigma.
Flaubert, J. L., Le Menestrel, S., Williams, D. R., Wakefield, M. K., & National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2021). Supporting the Health and Professional Well-Being of Nurses. In The Future of Nursing 2020-2030: Charting a Path to Achieve Health Equity. National Academies Press (US). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK573902/
Hansen, C., & Himley, J. (2020). Creating Inclusive and Culturally Competent Healthcare for the LGBTQ+ Community: A Curriculum. https://commons.und.edu/ot-grad/447/
Kneale, D., & Bécares, L. (2020). The mental health and experiences of discrimination of LGBTQ+ people during the COVID-19 pandemic: initial findings from the Queerantine study. MedRxiv, 2020-08. https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.08.03.20167403.abstract
Madireddy, S., & Madireddy, S. (2022). Supportive model for the improvement of mental health and prevention of suicide among LGBTQ+ youth. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 27(1), 85–101. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02673843.2022.2025872
Nichols-Bates, S. (2022). Clinical Practice Guideline for Treating Depression in LGBTQ+ Patients in Primary Care (Doctoral dissertation, Walden University). https://search.proquest.com/openview/4ed4a193c6922589aa24ba22b4bf05a6/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y