Suicide Risk Among Gay and Lesbian Teens

According to Healthy Place, gay and lesbian teens are two to three times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers and up to 30 percent of teens that actually kill themselves are gay or lesbian. These statistics may be somewhat inaccurate, though, because many teens don't come out and announce their sexual orientation. Some teens that attempt or commit suicide may be gay or lesbian but no one may realize it.

Gay and lesbian teens are often isolated from their peers and withdrawn from parents, other adults and other family members. If they feel they must keep their sexuality secret, they may feel unable to discuss other personal matters like thoughts of depression and suicide. If confusion or shame regarding their sexuality is contributing to feelings of depression and thoughts of suicide, teens may hesitate to tell anyone how they are feeling because they are afraid to share the fact that they are gay or lesbian.

Contributing Factors

According to Healthy Place, 44 percent of gay and lesbian teens that attempt suicide report that family problems were a contributing factor. These family problems may include parental discord or divorce, alcoholism in the family or conflicts between teens and their parents. Conflict may or may not be related to teens' sexuality.

Many other factors contribute to the high risk of suicide among gay and lesbian youth, however. Lambda reports that gay and lesbian youth experience higher rates of abuse in their homes, are more frequently victims of bullying or harassment at school than their heterosexual peers, face discrimination in the workplace and in the juvenile justice system, lack support from their peers and lack positive role models. Of course not all gay and lesbian teens are abused at home or bullied at school, but these factors certainly contribute to the high rates of suicide among these adolescents.

Gay and lesbian teens that get professional help for depression may not improve; in fact, treatment may make matters worse for them if mental health care professionals are not knowledgeable about and accepting of homosexuality in adolescents. Some parents even take teens to programs that claim to change adolescents' sexuality and make them heterosexual again, a form of therapy never proven to work.

Reducing Risk

Typical suicide prevention efforts may not be very effective for gay and lesbian teens.

Cultural diversity and sensitivity training programs may help. Comprehensive anti-bullying policies in schools will help. Ensuring gay and lesbian teens have somewhere to turn if they do feel suicidal is also crucial.

Educating parents would also be useful so they could respond to their teens, if their teens do discuss being gay or lesbian with them, in a positive and appropriate way. Educating parents poses quite a challenge though. It can be difficult to reach parents and some parents are resistant to the idea that it's all right for teens not to be heterosexual.

There are also several hotlines available for teens in need, but many teens may not realize this. Posting the numbers in public places like schools, doctors' offices and community organizations like YMCAs and libraries would be helpful.

Available crisis hotlines include:

Girls and Boys Town Crisis Line
800-448-3000 (24 hour hotline)

Covenant House Nineline
800-999-9999 (24 hour hotline)

The Trevor Project
The Trevor Project is a suicide hotline specifically for gay and lesbian youth.
866-488-7386 (24 hour hotline)

Sources:

Healthy Place. http://www.healthyplace.com/gender/gay-is-ok/what-you-need-to-know-about-gay-teen-suicide/menu-id-1420/ . What You Need to Know About Gay Teen Suicide.

Lambda. http://www.lambda.org/youth_suicide.htm . Gay Male and Lesbian Suicide.