Mental Health Crises facing LGBTQ+ Youth

It’s Pride Month! June was first officially recognized as Pride Month in 1999 when U.S. President Bill Clinton declared the anniversary of the Stonewall riots every June in America as Gay and Lesbian Pride Month. Years later, President Barack Obama would expand the officially recognized Pride Month to include the whole of the LGBT community.

While the USA, and the world, has come a long way in LGBTQ+ acceptance, representation, and rights, there are however still a lot of troubles the community faces. Familial rejection, political discourse, and social pressure can create enormous challenges that can lead to mental health crises. This affects all ages of the LGBTQ+ community, but hits the youth especially hard.

Unfortunately, LGBTQ youth are four times as likely to attempt suicide than their peers (Johns et al., 2019; Johns et al., 2020). Nearly 1.8 million LGBTQ youth (13-24) consider suicide every year in the U.S. with an upsetting amount attempting suicide (at least one attempts suicide every 45 seconds).

According to the Trevor Project, “LGBTQ youth are not inherently prone to suicide risk because of their sexual orientation or gender identity but rather placed at higher risk because of how they are mistreated and stigmatized in society.”

For a full report on the risk of suicide facing the LGTBQ+ youth, check out this article by the Trevor Project: Facts about LGBTQ Youth Suicide https

For a list of crisis numbers and organizations to help those in the LGBTQ+ community, or those simply facing suicidal thoughts, follow this link: Support Hotlines