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The number of young LGBTQ people in the U.S. who have had suicidal thoughts is increasing, according to a new survey released Wednesday.
According to The Trevor Project’s 2022 National Survey of LGBTQ Youth Mental Health, 45% of LGBTQ youth, ages 13 to 24, have considered attempting suicide in the past year.
That number represents a steady and worrying increase in reports of suicidal thoughts among youth over the past three years.
Last year, the survey found that 42% of respondents reported thoughts of suicide; against 40% in 2020.
For this year’s survey, researchers with The Trevor Project — the world’s largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ and questioning youth — interviewed nearly 34,000 LGBTQ youth (aged 13 to 24), between Sept. 20 and Dec. 31, 2021.
About 45% of them were LGBTQ youth of color and 48% identified as transgender or nonbinary, making it “one of the most diverse surveys of LGBTQ youth ever conducted,” according to the organization.
Both suicide ideation and attempts were more common among younger kids. About half of respondents between the ages of 13 and 17 said that they considered suicide in the past year, while nearly two in 10 said that they attempted to end their lives.
Suicide attempts were particularly higher among transgender and nonbinary youth, with one in five respondents reporting that they attempted to die by suicide in the past year.
LGBTQ youth of color — Black, Latinx, Native/Indigenous, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, Middle Eastern and mixed ethnicities — had higher rates of suicide attempts or thoughts when compared to white LGBTQ youth, accordign to researchers.
That’s important to emphasize when working to end suicide in such a diverse community, according to Myeshia Price, the organization’s senior research scientist.
“Lumping diverse youth into broad identity categories and applying single-size approaches does a disservice to everyone, and makes our work to end LGBTQ youth suicide even harder,” Price said in a statement.
“We urge fellow researchers to include expansive identity terminology in all youth survey research, and for public health officials and youth-serving organizations to tailor services to meet LGBTQ youth’s unique needs. Only then will we be able to better understand and support the young people who need us most,” they added.
The data also shows that LGBTQ youth are not getting proper mental health care — mainly because of lack of affordability, concerns about discussing mental health issues, fears of not being taken seriously, and also worries that their parents or guardians will not allow them to seek care.
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While a vast majority of them reported recent symptoms of anxiety (73%) and depression (58%), only 60% of those who wanted to receive mental health care in the past year were not able to get it.
The ongoing global health crisis, as well as the unprecedented attacks on the rights of LGBTQ youth in legislatures across the country also play a major part in the increase of suicidal thoughts among youth, according to Amit Paley, the organization’s CEO and executive director.
“The Trevor Project’s research demonstrates that suicidal thoughts have trended upward among LGBTQ young people over the last three years, making our life-saving work all the more important,” Paley told The News, adding that the “impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and relentless political attacks during this time period cannot be understated.”
The survey also highlighted the importance of an inclusive and accepting environment.
Youth who live in a community that is accepting of LGBTQ people — including schools and homes — reported “significantly lower” rates of attempting suicide compared to those who do not, researchers said.
Unfortunately, nearly two in five LGBTQ youth said they live in a community that is “somewhat or very unaccepting of LGBTQ people.”
If you or someone you know is going through a crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at (800) 273-TALK (8255). LGBTQ youth are encouraged to call TrevorLifeline at (866) 488-7386, or text ‘START’ to 678-678
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