A study published in 2016 found that lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults were twice as likely to have mental health issues - such as anxiety and depression - as heterosexual adults.Īnd data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - collected between 20 - indicate that youth identifying as lesbian gay or bisexual were between three and four times as likely to attempt suicide compared to students identifying as heterosexual. Past research shows that LGBTQIA+ individuals face a number of mental health disparities. Yet more identify as queer, intersex, asexual, or fit elsewhere on the gender and sexuality spectrum (LGBTQIA+). There are estimated to be more than 11.3 million adults in the United States who identify as LGBT - lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. Always refer to a person’s sexual, romantic, or gender identity the same way the person describes it.
However, it is important to note that these identities are personal, and people may define them differently. Medical News Today uses definitions of sexual, romantic, and gender identities that come from LGBTQIA+ and ally sources.
