Hi! I'm Thom O'Neill
and this is my new vlog
Dr Thom.
I'm a doctor in Scotland
and this week I've been making videos
about mental health as part of
mental health awareness week in the UK.
So far I've done videos about specific things
like depression or anxiety,
but today I want to make a short video
about a whole area that's really important.
And that's mental health issues
amongst LGBT kids.
This week a new report showed that Scotland
is the most progressive country in Europe
for LGBT rights.
But in the same week,
if you look over at Ireland having the debate
about same-sex marriage,
you'll see some really horrendous views being
aired.
And we can't forget the damage that this could
do
to LGBT kids.
So recently, the wonderful organisation Stonewall
released their School Report.
This was a massive study throughout UK schools
that looked at all the issues facing LGBT
kids.
The figures found by this report for
mental health issues facing LGBT kids
are staggering.
The report's available online and I'll put
it in the description below,
but I'll tell you about some of the most important
figures it found.
Firstly, we know that LGBT people
of all ages face
far high levels of mental health issues
than the general population.
So one in seven LGBT people are currently
facing
a mental health problem.
This is a lot higher than the average population.
Obviously being gay doesn't cause
mental health issues in of itself,
but mental health issues can very easily arise
due to the problems that LGBT people face.
Things like homophobic bullying,
having to hide.
Difficult relationships with family,
or even being thrown out of the family home.
Problems at school. Harassment at work.
And even difficult interactions with healthcare
professionals
and health services.
In LGBT youth, the figures are even worse.
55% of LGBT kids in school face homophobic
bullying.
Half have symptoms consistent with depression.
But it's not just homophobic bullying.
LGBT kids that aren't bullied in school
are still 35% more likely than the general
population
to be depressed.
It's slightly more common in lesbian or bisexual
girls
than it is in gay or bisexual boys,
although we're not really sure why this is.
I've made separate videos about depression
and anxiety
which are here, and here.
Depression and or anxiety are the most likely
mental health issues that LGBT kids will face.
On top of homophobic bullying,
there's another really interesting factor
that determines
how likely an LGBT kid is to develop depression
or anxiety.
In schools, LGBT kids that don't feel they
have an adult
that they can talk to, confide in, or look
up to even,
are far, far, far more likely to experience
depression or anxiety, or other mental health
issues,
compared to gay kids in schools who do have
someone that they can look up to or talk to.
But it's not just depression or anxiety that
faces
LGBT kids.
The next figures are staggering,
and also come with a trigger warning.
So a quarter of all LGBT youth
have tried to take their own life at some
point.
That is a staggering figure.
This is far higher than the rate in the average
population.
According to the Samaritans,
around seven percent of young people in general
will have tried to take their own life at
some point.
If you thought a quarter of all LGBT kids
trying to take their own life was bad,
when you look at transgender kids
as an individual group,
50% will have tried to take their own life
at some point.
Fifty percent.
Half.
Half of all transgender kids will have
tried to take their own life at some point.
Part of this will be even higher levels of
bullying,
greater risk of family rejection,
and far more complicated self-esteem and self-confidence
issues.
And those figures are just for kids who have
actually tried to take their own life at some
point.
When Stonewall asked LGBT kids if they'd
thought about taking their own life recently,
seven in ten lesbian or bisexual girls,
and six in ten gay or bisexual boys
said that they had though about taking their
own life.
The figures are just as bad for deliberate
self-harm as well.
Over half of all LGBT kids will have deliberately
self-harmed.
If you look at black and minority ethnic LGBT
kids,
the figures are so much worse.
83% of black and minority ethnic LGBT kids
will have deliberately self-harmed.
Eighty-three percent.
One of the major risks for deliberate self-harm
across all LGBT kids is homophobic bullying,
made worse by not having an adult they can
trust and confide in.
If you look at some of the really horrendous
views and opinions being voiced in the
Irish referendum for same-sex marriage,
it's no wonder that gay kids feel like this.
We need to serve our LGBT kids better.
Scotland's already taking big steps
to helping LGBT kids in school,
but we need more teachers to be aware
of LGBT issues.
We need better accessible help for LGBT in
school,
and schools need to have better policies to
help
protect LGBT kids from homophobic bullying.
Stonewall have got really great resources
for helping LGBT kids in schools.
From awareness to policy-making.
Another really good organisation called Gendered
Intelligence
has got really good resources specifically
for
transgender kids in schools.
I'll put the links to Stonewall's resources
and Gendered Intelligence resources
in the description below.
Young people can help each other in school
as well.
Straight allies and LGBT awareness groups
are all really good things to have in schools.
Healthcare professionals need to be better
as well.
Doctors, nurses, and any other healthcare
professional
need to be more LGBT aware,
especially for young people.
Healthcare professionals need to take proactive
steps
to provide the best possible care for LGBT
youth.
OK that's about it for this video.
I've made specific videos on depression and
anxiety,
and I've included them in a playlist along
with this video.
To those voting in Ireland soon
in the same-sex marriage referendum,
please make the right decision,
for the sake of the health of your young people.
That's all from me for now.
Until next time.
Be good!
