Justice/MH

Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender Communities and Mental Health

Mental Health America works nationally and locally to raise awareness about mental health and ensures that those at-risk for mental illnesses and related disorders receive proper, timely and effective treatment. MHA incorporates culturally competent strategies to ensure that it is effectively addressing the treatment and psychosocial needs of consumers and families with diverse values, beliefs, sexual orientations and backgrounds that vary by race, ethnicity and/or language.

Statistics

Demographics/Societal Issues

The following statistics were taken from the “Mental Health and Mental Disorders” section of  Healthy People 2010 Companion Document for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Health published by the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association and the National Coalition for LGBT Health in 2001:
  • Like the general U.S. population, LGBT people are diverse in terms of cultural background, ethnic or racial identity, age, income and place of residence. Between 1.4 and 4.3 percent of women and 2.8 and 9.1 percent of men in the U.S. are classified as gay, lesbian or bisexual, depending on whether the estimate was derived from self-reporting or by reporting any sexual behavior with a person of the same gender since puberty.
  • Dealing with the possibilities of sexual prejudice, sexual orientation discrimination and anti-gay violence are stressors and can become major mental health concerns.

Attitudes

The following statistics were taken from a March 17, 2003 Witeck-Combs Communications/ Harris Interactive national survey on health care.
  • Eleven percent of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender adults said they are worried about depression/anxiety as a personal health risk, compared to 6 percent of heterosexuals.
  • Twenty-four percent o f LGBT adults said they have deliberately withheld their sexual practices from their doctor or other health care professional.
  • When choosing a doctor or health care professional, as many LGBT adults say it is important to them that a provider is known to be “gay-friendly” (25 percent) as it is to have that provider covered by their health insurance plan (24 percent).

Prevalence

The following statistics were taken from the “Mental Health and Mental Disorders” section of  Healthy People 2010 Companion Document for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Health published by the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association and the National Coalition for LGBT Health in 2001:
  • Gay men reported higher rates of major depression and panic attack syndrome than males who reported no same sex partners in the past year. Likewise, lesbian women reported higher rates of alcohol and drug dependence than their female counterparts who reported no same sex partners in the past year.1
  • A 1994 National Lesbian Health Care Survey found that symptoms of depression among lesbians were roughly equivalent to those among heterosexual women. Other studies found lower depression rates among women in relationships, lesbians who had more social support from friends and family, and those who were more open about their sexual orientation.
  • Another study reported higher levels of depressive symptoms among African-American gay men and lesbians than those found in studies of the general population of African Americans.2

Treatment Issues

The following statistics were taken from the “Mental Health and Mental Disorders” section of  Healthy People 2010 Companion Document for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Health published by the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association and the National Coalition for LGBT Health in 2001:
  • In mental health care, stigma, lack of cultural sensitivity and unconscious and conscious reluctance to address sexuality all may hamper effectiveness of care. Treatments that rely on group therapies and support groups are also vulnerable to the effects of discrimination, with participants often forming a justifiable fear that full disclosure of personal details may adversely affect their standing in the group or health care setting.
  • LGBT people report discriminatory treatment following disclosure of sexual orientation in paramedical and auxiliary care settings, including nursing homes, domestic violence centers and senior centers.

Access/Insurance

The following statistics was taken from the “Mental Health and Mental Disorders” section of  Healthy People 2010 Companion Document for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Health published by the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association and the National Coalition for LGBT Health in 2001:
  • Barriers to care for LGBT people include systemic bias in health insurance and public entitlements, which routinely fail to cover gay and lesbian partners or to provide reimbursement for procedures of particular relevance to LGBT populations, such as fertility services to lesbians or surgical procedures required by transsexuals.
Posted 3.31.2010 from MHA website
 
 Revised 9/24/2009

LAW ENFORCEMENT

Without adequate training and access to community-based mental health resources, law
enforcement officers face tremendous obstacles in responding to people with mental illness. This
section identifies resources for local law enforcement agencies looking to address mental health
issues.

• Illness: improve their responses to people with mental illness and explores how these agencies
have overcome barriers to create and maintain effective programs by collaborating with
the mental health community.

A Guide for Implementing Police-Based Diversion Programs for People with Mental Illness. Summarizes what law enforcement agencies are doing across the country to • endorsed by leaders representing law enforcement and mental health systems across the country, to help policymakers and practitioners improve outcomes of law enforcement encounters with people with mental illness.
 
Consensus Project Report Recommendations: Offers detailed recommendations, Specialized Law Enforcement-Based Program: elements that jurisdictions should consider when planning, implementing or enhancing a specialized law enforcement–based response.
consensusproject.org/topics/toc/ch-II

 Improving Responses to People with Mental Illnesses – The Essential Elements of aDescribes the 10 important program  consensusproject.org/downloads/le-essentialelements.pdf
• Enforcement Training: officers' interactions involving people with mental illnesses, and synthesizes the key
lessons learned by jurisdictions that have implemented recruit or in-service programs. Discusses which individuals can best serve as trainers, how they can be identified, what preparation and support they require, what teaching techniques are most effective, and how planners can design training to improve outcomes from these encounters.

Improving Responses to People with Mental Illnesses – Strategies for Effective LawReviews common challenges to developing training for consensusproject.org/downloads/le-trgstrategies.pdf
• Project national initiative to provide resources for law enforcement leaders and their community partners to develop and enhance law enforcement/mental health programs. (Products are currently in development).

Law Enforcement/Mental Health Partnership Program: Describes a Consensus Law Enforcement Response to People with Mental Illnesses: A Guide to Research- The guide examines studies on law enforcement interactions with people with mentalconsensusproject.org/downloads/le-research.pdf
consensusproject.org/downloads/Lawenforcementonepager.pdf


• Informed Policy and Practice:
illnesses and translates the findings to help policymakers and practitioners develop safe
and effective interventions.


Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)