Two studies released this week show
that LGBT youth are at greater risk for depression and suicidal
thoughts than their peers.
Both studies were published in the May
edition of Pediatrics.
More than 1,300 transgender and gender
nonconforming youth participated in a study conducted by Kaiser
Permanente.
Researchers found high rates (15%) of
attention deficit disorder among the participants. Forty-nine
percent of transgender females and 62 percent of transgender males
reported bouts of depression. Participants also reported anxiety,
eating disorders and suicidal thoughts at higher than normal rates.
The second study was conducted by the
National Institutes of Health (NIH) and included 2,400 participants
aged 17 to 21 who self-identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual or
questioning.
About 32 percent of the participants
said that they had been cyberbullied and almost 40 percent reported
“low satisfaction” family relationships.
Jeremy Luk of the NIH said that the
research shows that addressing such issues early is critical.
“Without appropriate screening and
intervention, these disparities may likely persist into young
adulthood,” he
told Philly.com.