"I only read about myself on bathroom walls": The need for research on the mental health of lesbians and gay men.

Abstract

The very recent history of pathologizing homosexuality still has a strong impact on the public in general and mental health professionals in particular. In contrast to the early research on sexual reorientation of lesbians and gay men, there is relatively little empirical research on the mental health issues of lesbians and gay men. Whether researchers choose to define sexual orientation by sexual behavior, self-definition, or membership in lesbian and gay community groups will have an impact on the results. Research on mental health issues that include lesbians, gay men, and heterosexual women and men would allow an examination of the relative salience of gender versus sexual orientation. Finally, the experiences of lesbians and gay men in society may place them at increased risk for some mental health problems and may protect them from other mental health problems.

Reflections from University Students in a South African Gay and Lesbian Society

“…In addition to providing unbiased and affirmative counseling, campus mental health facilities should provide outreach to gay and lesbian students. Understanding the mental health needs of gay and lesbian students will not only improve the services for these populations but also serve to affirm the lesbian and gay experience as a model for positive mental health (Rothblum, 1994).…”

Relation between Psychiatric Syndromes and Behaviorally Defined Sexual Orientation in a Sample of the US Population

“…While homosexuality was once viewed as a psychiatric disorder or as a strong indicator of one, beginning in the late 1950s, empirical studies using small, nonclinical samples repeatedly found no elevation in rates of general psychiatric morbidity among lesbians or gay men when they were compared with similar heterosexuals (2-8). More recently, however, research examining psychiatric symptoms among gay men and lesbians has emphasized the role of social stigmatization in creating a chronic social stressor in the lives of many gay men and lesbians (9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14). Over the last decade in particular, research focusing on the possible psychiatric sequelae of social stigmatization and, for gay men, the stress of coping with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic, increasingly has found evidence that lesbians and gay men may be at greater-than-expected risk for several stress-related disorders, including drug and/or alcohol abuse (9,(15)(16)(17), suicide attempts during adolescence and young adulthood (18)(19)(20) One or the difficulties in interpreting the body of empirical evidence in this arena is that the majority of the studies carried out to date have used convenience-based samples drawn from the visible lesbian and gay community.…”

Contextual Factors Affecting Quality of Work Life and Career Attitudes of Gay Men

“…First, samples obtained through these means are more likely to over-represent individuals who are actively involved in the gay community (Meyer and Colten 1999;Rothblum 1994;Sell and Petrulio 1996). Second, this form of data collection is likely to under-represent gays, lesbians and bisexuals who are not open about their sexual orientation, as these individuals may shun association with visibly GLB-identified groups (Griffith and Hebl 2002;Ragins and Cornwell 2001).…”