‘PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS’

Nearly Half of All LGBTQ Youth ‘Seriously Considered’ Suicide in Past Year, Study Finds

The Trevor Project’s National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health also found nearly 1 in 5 trans and nonbinary youth had attempted suicide, and mental health support is lacking.

Forty-five percent of LGBTQ youth polled in a new survey said they had “seriously considered” suicide in the past year. Other key findings in the Trevor Project’s annual National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health include: nearly 1 in 5 transgender and nonbinary youth had attempted suicide, with LGBTQ youth of color reporting higher rates than their white peers; fewer than 1 in 3 transgender and nonbinary youth found their home to be gender-affirming; and 60 percent of LGBTQ youth who wanted mental health care in the past year were not able to get it. Those surveyed who felt “high social support from their family reported attempting suicide at less than half the rate” of those who didn’t. The Trevor Project said rates of suicidal thoughts had trended upward in the last three years. Its 2022 study surveyed 34,000 LGBTQ youth, with 45 percent being youths of color and 48 percent being transgender or nonbinary. “These data provide critical insights into some of the unique suicide risk factors faced by LGBTQ youth, top barriers to mental health care, and the negative impacts of COVID-19 and relentless anti-transgender legislation,” Amit Paley, CEO & Executive Director of the Trevor Project, said in a statement.