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DEPRESSION ANDANXIETY IN YOUNGPEOPLE WHO ARE GAY,LESBIAN, BISEXUAL,TRANSGENDER ORINTERSEX (GLBTI)

 Visit:  www.youthbeyondblue.comIno line: 1300 22 4636 Email: infoline@beyondblue.org.aubeyondblue: the national depression initiative 

PAGE 1 OF 2Youthbeyondblue Fact sheet 22

Adolescence is a turbulent time or

most young people. For young people

who are same-sex attracted (gay,

lesbian or bisexual), transgender or

intersex, the challenges can be even

greater. They might fnd their eelings

difcult to talk about, they may eel

that nobody else is in their situation

and they may also experience bullying

and abuse – all o which can increase

the risk o mental health problemssuch as depression and anxiety

disorders.

SAME-SEX ATTRACTIONAND GENDER IDENTITY

It’s important to understand the dif ferences between

sexual orientation and gender identity.

•Beinggay,lesbianorbisexualmeansthatyouhave

romantic and sexual attractions for people of the

same gender. It does not mean that you question

your identity as a man or a woman.

•Beingtransgendermeansthatyourinnersenseof  gender (being a male or female) is dif ferent from

yoursex(biology).Transgenderpeoplehavethe 

same range of sexual orientations as the rest of the

population,sotheymaybegay,lesbian,bisexual 

or straight.

•Intersexpeoplearepeoplewhohavegenetic,  

hormonal,andphysicalfeaturesthatmaybetypical 

of both males and females at once – you may be

thoughtofasbeingmalewithfemalefeatures, 

femalewithmalefeatures,orhavenoclearlydened 

sexual features at all. Intersex does not indicate

gender or sexuality.

Whilemanyissuesforgay,lesbian,bisexual,

transgenderandintersex(GLBTI)peoplearedifferent,

prejudice and misunderstanding can be a common

experience. There is enormous pressure in our

societyforeveryonetoadoptthebehaviourstypically

associated with being male or female (including

pressuretobeheterosexual),andpeoplecanbe

subjectedtoridicule,intimidationandevenviolence

 justbecausetheydon’ttintosomeoneelse’sideal 

of a man or a woman.

Forayoungpersonrealisingthattheyare‘different’,

feelings about sexuality or gender can be confusinganddifculttodealwith:

•youmayfeelsuchapressuretoconformtosociety

that you question or deny your sexual attraction or

genderquestioningeventoyourself,andthiscan 

affect your self-esteem

•youmayfeeltornbetweenwantingtolet 

others know about your feelings and denying or

suppressingthem,becauseoffearthatyoumay 

be rejected

•youmayalreadybefeelingsadness,ifyouthink   

youmightlosetherespectandloveoffamily 

and friends.

Itcanbeevenharderifyouarefromaculturewhere

homosexualityistaboo,orhavebeenbroughtupina

culture or religion that rejects homosexuality.

Itmaybedifcultforyoutotalkaboutyourfeelings

and experiences – especially if people at school or

workusewordsaboutsexualityinaderogatoryway,

suchaslabellingpeopleorobjects‘gay’evenifthey

havenothingtodowithsame-sexattraction.

Thefactis,same-sexattractionisanormalaspect

ofhumansexuality.Today,thereismuchgreater

awareness and acceptance than there used to be

ofsame-sexattractionandgenderquestioning,and

same-sex attracted and transgender people are muchmorevisibleinthemediaandpubliclife.Butyoung

peoplewhoareknowntobegay,lesbian,bisexual,

transgender or intersex are still far more likely to

experiencebullying,verbalandphysicalabuseat

school,workandinsocialsituations.

Manysame-sexattracted,transgenderorintersex

youngpeoplemanagewell,aloneorwiththesupport

ofothers,untiltheyarecondenttheycan‘comeout’

and seek more support from other young people and

their families. Many young people feel great relief

when they feel safe enough to tell someone about their

feelings and get some support and reassurance.

THE IMPACT OF HOMOPHOBICAND TRANSPHOBIC ABUSE

Unlike those who are discriminated against fora characteristic they share with their family or

community,suchasraceorreligion,manyGLBTI

youngpeoplehavefrequentlymadethisjourney

aloneandinsecret.Theymayhavenotbeentaught

strategiesforcopingwithprejudice,andareless

likelytocallon(andperhapsbegiven)familyand

communitysupportiftheyarevictimised.

 Any type of homophobic or transphobic discrimination

canhaveanegativeimpactonaperson’smental

health,andit’snotsurprisingthatmanyyoungpeople

react to this sort of stress and anxiety by feeling

anxious or down. Research shows us that compared

withyoungpeoplewhohavenotexperiencedabuse,

youngpeoplewhohaveexperiencedhomophobicortransphobicabuse:

•experiencemorefeelingsofdepressionandanger

•feellesssafeatschool,home,onsocialoccasionsand at sport

•aremorelikelytoskipschoolordropoutcompletely

•aremorelikelytoexperiencehomelessness,to haveunsafesex,tousealcoholanddrugsandto

deliberately self-harm.

It’s important to know that help and support areavailable(seeoverleaf).

7/30/2019 Youthbeyondblue Fact Sheet 22 - Depression and Anxiety in Young People Who Are Gay, Bisexual, Transgender or …

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KEY POINTS TO REMEMBER

The following things can help you stay healthy if youaresame-sexattracted,transgenderorintersex,andfeeling depressed or anxious.

•Don’tputpressureonyourselftomakebigdecisions about your life – take all the time youneed to think through who you are and how you feel.

•Spendtimeandstayconnectedwithpeopleyoulikeand trust.

•Ifyouthinkyouaredepressedoranxious,takeaction early.

•Eatahealthyandvarieddiet.

•Stayphysicallyactive.

•Taketimeouttodosomethingyouenjoy.

•Don’tstress(ordon’tstresstoomuch).

•Getenoughsleep.

•Avoiddrinkingalcoholortakingdrugs.

•Rememberthatsomedayswillbebetterthanothers.

•Findasupportgroupsoyoucantalktootheryoungpeople who may be experiencing similar feelingsand emotions.

•Thereishelpavailable.Seethelistofwebsitesandhelp lines opposite.

Weallhavetherighttobetreatedfairlyandequallybutit can be hard to stand up for yourself if it means tellingsomeone that you are gay or questioning your gender.Remember that you can speak up and seek help forbeingteased,bulliedorabusedwithouthavingtogiveany reason.

BL/064305/11

 Visit:  www.youthbeyondblue.comIno line: 1300 22 4636 Email: infoline@beyondblue.org.aubeyondblue: the national depression initiative 

WHAT IS THE CONNECTION WITHDEPRESSION AND ANXIETY?

 All these challenges and stresses make some same-sex

attracted,transgenderandintersexyoungpeoplemore

vulnerabletosymptomsofdepressionandanxiety.

Depression is more than just a low mood – it’s a serious

illness.Peoplewithdepressionndithardtofunctionevery

dayandmaybereluctanttoparticipateinactivitiesthey

onceenjoyed.Depressioncanhaveseriouseffectson

physicalandmentalhealth.Depressioniscommon–

around160,000youngpeoplelivewithdepression 

everyyear.

 Anxiety is a normal human experience of worry or fear

that can’t be brought under control easily. An anxiety

disorder is different from feeling occasionally anxious or

stressed – it’s a serious condition that makes it hard for

the person to cope from day to day. One in four people will

experienceananxietydisorderatsomestageoftheirlives.

Inmanycases,mentalhealthproblemsmaybepreventable. 

They are always treatable. It is important to know that it

is not a young person’s sexuality or gender issues that are

thecontributingfactorsfordepressionoranxiety,itcanbe

otherpeople’sdiscriminatingattitudes,homophobiaand

transphobia.Socialisolationisalsoariskfactor.

TAKING ACTION

Mental health problems are just like any other illness –

you need ways to address them and stop them happening

againlateron.Evenifyou’reworriedaboutwhatpeople

think,oryou’reunsureofwhattodoaboutit,startby

talkingtosomeoneyoutrust–maybeaparent,teacher,

schoolcounsellor,familymemberorfriend.

Remember you can talk to people about how you are

feelingandconcernsyouhaveaboutbeingdepressed

withouthavingtodiscussyoursexualityorfeelings

about your gender.

Itmaybeveryusefultondasupportgroup,and

there are many of these groups in both urban and rural

areasinAustralia(seelistofwebsitesbelow).Seeing

a GP is also a good start when you’re after help andinformation – they can help you work out whether what

you are feeling is depression or anxiety and help you

makeaplantogethelp.Thismayinvolveorganising

talking (psychological) therapy.

The doctor may also talk to you about other ways to

tackledepressionandanxiety,suchasmanagingstress

andtipsonhowtoimproveyoursleeppatterns.

Forsomepeople,thedoctormaythinkthat

antidepressantmedicationisalsonecessary,butonlyif

thedepressionissevereoritisn’timprovingwithother

treatments.Ifyoudostarttakinganantidepressant,

your doctor will monitor you closely for a while.It’simportanttokeepinggoingwithyourtreatment,

evenafteryoustartfeelingbetter–overcoming

depressionandanxietycantaketime,especiallyifyou

havebeenexperiencingsymptomsforalongtime.

Whether it’s you or someone else that needs help, you could try talking to a trusted family member, friend,

doctor or counsellor. The websites listed below can help you get in touch with other same-sex attracted,

transgender or intersex young people.

Freedom Centre

www.reedom.org.au

Queer youth cyberspace

www.qnet.org.au

Not so straight information

& referral website

www.notsostraight.com.au

Twenty ten a place to be you

www.twenty10.org.au

It Gets Better Project

www.itgetsbetter.org

Coming Out Australia

www.comingout.com.au

Open Doors support service

www.opendoors.net.au

Gender Centre

www.gendercentre.org.au/index1.htm

Trans Melbourne Gender Project

www.genderproject.net.au

Transgender Victoria

www.transgendervictoria.com

Organisation Intersex International

http://oiiaustralia.com

 Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome

Support Group Australia

http://home.vicnet.net.au/~aissg

The websites below can help you to fnd healthservices in your area. They list services that areeither ree o charge or low cost:

Kids Help Line www.kidshelp.com.au

Lifeline Service Finder www.lifeline.org.au/service_nder

I you or a riend want to communicate withsomeone via email or online, Kids Help Lineoers confdential, non-judgemental, emotionalsupport 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

SOURCES This act sheet is based on the ollowing sources, which

provide more detailed inormation on depression and anxiety in same-sex

attracted, gender questioning and intersex young people: nCorbozJ,Dowsett

Getal(2008)Feeling queer and blue: A review of the literature on depression and related issues among gay, lesbian, bisexual and other homosexually 

active people.Melbourne:AustralianResearchCentreinSex,HealthandSociety,

LaTrobeUniversitypreparedfor beyondblue: the national depression initiative. nHillierL,JonesTetal(2010)Writing Themselves In 3: the third national study 

on the sexual health and well being of same sex attracted and gender questioning 

 young people .Melbourne:AustralianResearchCentreinSexHeathandSociety,  

LaTrobeUniversity. nPOSHbooklethttp://www.latrobe.edu.au/ssay/posh.html nbeyondblue (2009)Mental health, depression and anxiety in same-sex attracted 

people. Issues paper 2 – www.beyondblue.org.au nResponseability(2005)

Same-sex attraction and mental health (availableathttp://www.responseability.

org/client_images/778680.pdf)nTrans Melbourne Gender Project and Gay

andLesbianHealthVictoria. Gender questioning (availableatwww.glhv.org.au/ 

les/GQv2.pdf)nOrganisationIntersexInternational(2009).Responsetothe

DepartmentofHealthandAgeingdiscussionpaperonaNewNationalWoman’s

HealthPolicy.(availableathttp://oiiaustralia.com/les/submissions/submission-

federal-department-health-ageings-national-womens-health-policy/)

PAGE 2 OF 2

MORE INFORMATIONAND SUPPORT

 You can speak to trained counsellors

by phoning these 24-hour telephone

counselling services:

Lifeline 13 11 14 (cost of a local call)

Kids Help Line 1800 55 1800 (freecall)

MensLine Australia 1300 78 99 78

Inormation and support is also available

rom the ollowing websites: 

beyondblue  www.youthbeyondblue.com

or www.beyondblue.org.au

infoline1300224636Informationondepression,anxietyandhowtohelpafriend

Inspire Foundation www.inspire.org.au

Onlineprogrammestoimprovementalhealth

headspace www.headspace.org.au

Information,supportandhelpnearyou

ReachOut.com www.reachout.com

Information and support for young peoplegoing through tough times

National LGBT Health Alliance www.lgbthealth.org.au Information and supportforlesbian,gay,bisexual,transgenderandothersexuality,sexandgenderdiversepeople(LGBT)