Mental Health Resources in the LGBTQ+ Community

Produced by the HRC Foundation

LGBTQ+ people experience alarmingly high rates of mental health challenges. Too often, false narratives attempt to blame LGBTQ+ people for their own mental health challenges. The truth is that mental health challenges in the LGBTQ+ community are largely due to stigma, discrimination and bias in all of its forms. LGBTQ+ people also face gaps in receiving adequate mental health care. Significant gaps in health insurance coverage, economic injustice, discrimination, bias, stigma and violence all interact to worsen the mental health challenges facing LGBTQ+ people today.

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Mental Health Among LGBTQ+ Adults

HRC Foundation analyzed data from the (2022) Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), a nationally representative survey of adults in the United States, core questions on depression and mental health (Table 1). LGBTQ+ adults (39.1%) are about twice as likely as non-LGBTQ+ adults (19.1%) to report they have been diagnosed with depression. In addition, LGBTQ+ adults (30.7%) are far more likely to say that they have poor mental health than non-LGBTQ+ adults (13.9%), measured as having poor mental health for at least 15 of the last 30 days.

TABLE 1: MENTAL HEALTH AMONG U.S. ADULTS BY SEXUAL ORIENTATION AND GENDER IDENTITY (2022)
Non-LGBTQ+ LGBTQ+ Cisgender LGBQ+ Transgender
Ever diagnosed with depression 19.1% 39.1% 39.2% 40%
Poor mental health 13.9% 30.7% 30.3% 34.7%
Note: Data come from HRC Foundation’s internal analysis of the mental health core questions in the 2022 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), a nationally representative survey of adults (age 18+) across the United States. All proportions are survey weighted, following CDC guidelines. Results are restricted to the 32 states that included the optional BRFSS module collecting sexual orientation and gender identity data, approximately 57.8% of the full 2022 BRFSS sample. For an overview of which core questions reflect which type of mental health, please visit the CDC’s website.

Mental Health Among LGBTQ+ Youth

In 2022, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation partnered with the University of Connecticut to survey LGBTQ+ youth across the United States. Almost 13,000 youth age 13-18, from all 50 states and the District of Columbia, completed the online survey between January 31 and October 23, 2022. See the full report here. Data from the study, which included the clinical screening tools, the PHQ-2 (to screen for depression), the GAD-2 (to screen for anxiety), and the PHQ-4 (to screen for psychological distress), reveals that many LGBTQ+ youth are experiencing a mental health crisis.

  • Over half (55.1%) screened positive for depression
  • Two in three (63.5%) screened positive for anxiety
  • Three in ten (30.9%) screened positive for severe psychological distress
  • Two in three (64.7%) rate their ability to manage stress as "fair" or "poor"


LGBTQ+ Crisis/Suicide Prevention Hotlines

*Not LGBTQ+ specific but LGBTQ+ inclusive

Transgender Community

LGBTQ+ Youth

LGBTQ+ Adults

All Ages

The Human Rights Campaign reports on news, events and resources of the Human Rights Campaign Foundation that are of interest to the general public and further our common mission to support the LGBTQ+ community.
Topics:
Health & Aging

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