James Donaldson on Mental Health - Mental Health Challenges of LGBTQ+ Kids

If you have a child who’s LGBTQ+ you may worry about whether they’re getting the support they need to be safe and healthy.

You may be aware that LGBTQ+ kids are at higher risk than other kids for developing mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, and substance abuse.

They also have higher rates of contemplating, attempting, and dying by suicide.

That’s why it’s important to understand what factors make an LGBTQ+ young person more or less likely to develop a mental health problem, including considering or attempting suicide.

Being LGBTQ+ doesn’t cause mental health problems — and is not caused by mental health problems.

Rather, these kids’ increased risk of developing mental health problems stems from exposure to factors like rejection, bullying, discrimination, and violence.

While acceptance of LGBTQ+ kids has increased over the last few decades, the current political backlash has caused many of them to feel less secure.

In a 2024 Trevor Project poll of 18,000 LGBTQ+ youth between the ages of 13 and 24 years old, 90 percent said their well-being was negatively impacted due to recent politics — and 53 percent said it was impacted a lot.

Sixty-six percent reported feeling recent symptoms of anxiety, and 53 percent reported symptoms of depression.

Thirty-nine percent said they had seriously considered suicide in the past year.