“I’ve always been fortunate and blessed to have resources for my family. A lot of people can’t handle the stigma around mental health and needing to handle emotional and stressful situations. I see how my family needs that kind of help. And it breaks my heart thinking about people who may not have the strength to ask for help or the ability to find resources.”
“But until Indigenous and racialized people no longer face issues like poverty, inadequate housing and lower education and employment opportunities — the social determinants of health — and access to care is equitable, experts say anti-bias and anti-racism training is like putting a Band-Aid on a broken leg.”
“Our research confirms that a higher prevalence of substance use among lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults can continue into later life. Similar to LGBTQ adolescents and young adults, such prevalence may be related to stressors like discrimination and stigma based on sexual orientation in addition to stressors related to aging, including social isolation and age-related stigma,” said Benjamin Han, MD, MPH, the study’s lead author and an assistant professor in the Department of Medicine’s Division of Geriatric Medicine and Palliative Care and the Department of Population Health at NYU Langone Health.
“One-third said that they didn’t want to ask permission from their parents — which many states require to provide medical care to a person under 18. The report suggested that for some youth, getting their parents involved would mean having to disclose their sexuality or gender identity. Nearly a quarter also said they were afraid of being outed.”
“The report is relevant to debates currently unfolding nationally about whether to ban discrimination or, alternatively, allow a “license to discriminate” through religious exemptions from discrimination law, Frank said. The data also offer guidance on what policies and practices can help mitigate the consequences of anti-LGBT discrimination, prejudice and stigma, he said.”
“Corktown’s therapists make sure that the younger people we treat embrace their identity and treat any mental and emotional issues they are facing. It’s critical to validate each person’s experiences and emotions, and make sure they know they are not alone. It’s also very important for medical professionals to work with the families of these young people to help cultivate a more positive relationship, especially in cases of transgender youths.”
“Thinking about how we address the needs of the LGBT population, it depends. Black LGBT youth are going to have certain struggles and issues they’re going to face. Latinx are going to have another set of unique challenges. We must take an intersectional approach when addressing mental health among this population” said Sherman-Wilkins.
