Mental Health
There's plenty of support available to help you
People living with an alternative sexual orientation or gender identity have been proven to be more at risk of suffering from mental ill health than their heterosexual counterparts.
This can lead to many of the feelings and symptoms below which we can offer support to deal with. For more information, please visit Catalyst Mental Health here
For more information, please visit Catalyst Mental Health
Other Resources
Other Resources
Mental Health and Wellbeing
What does identifying as LGBTQ+ have to do with mental health? Wasn’t homosexuality taken out of diagnostic manuals in the 70’s? What about gender dysmorphia? Does everyone who identify as trans have to be diagnosed with gender dysmorphia?
LGBTQ+ and mental health
When our mental health is in a good state, we can cope with the normal stresses of life, work productively and are able to make a contribution to our community. When our mental health is not in a good state, it can impact all aspects our life like our work, our homelife and our confidence. We can experience poor mental health for many reasons including hormone imbalance, trauma, life events and more. People who identify as LGBTQ+ have also been proven to have a higher risk of experiencing poor mental health than their heterosexual counterparts. This can be because of internal struggles related to our gender identity or sexuality or because of external stresses, including experiences of discrimination or abuse. Or it can also be a result of hormone therapy.
Below are short descriptions of some common illnesses or conditions that affect our mental health:
Depression
Is a low mood that can last a long time or keep returning, affecting your everyday life. Symptoms can vary between individuals but some common psychological symptoms are: Continuous low mood or sadness, feeling hopeless and helpless, Having low self-esteem, feeling tearful, feeling anxious or worried or having suicidal thoughts or thoughts of harming yourself. Some common physical symptoms are: Moving or speaking more slowly than usual, changes in appetite or weight (usually decreased, but sometimes increased), constipation and low sex drive (loss of libido).
Stress
Most people feel stressed sometimes and some people find stress helpful or even motivating. But if stress is affecting your life, there are things you can try that may help. Some signs of stress can be: Being irritable, angry, impatient or wound up, feeling over-burdened or overwhelmed, being anxious, nervous or afraid, feel like your thoughts are racing and you can't switch off, and like you've lost your sense of humour. Physical signs can also come out in anxiety attacks, feeling sick, dizzy or fainting, and fatigue.
Anxiety
Anxiety is a feeling of stress, panic or fear that can affect your everyday life physically and psychologically. We all feel some anxiety at some points in our life, for example for exams, job interviews or a big move. Some anxiety is normal and usually resolved by itself in a relatively short amount of time. General Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is however a long-term condition that can make us feel anxious about a wide range of situations and issues, rather than one specific event.
Low - Self Esteem
Self-esteem, also often thought of as self-confidence, is how we value and perceive ourselves. It's based on our opinions and beliefs about ourselves, which can feel difficult to change. When we have a low-esteem, we can see ourselves as having little value, criticising our selves unfairly, and feeling hopeless. There is help and support available to help grow our self-esteem.
Self - Harming
We who identify as LGBTQ+ are more likely to self-harm at some point during our lifetime. Self-harm is defined as when you hurt yourself as a way of dealing with difficult feelings, painful memories or overwhelming situations and experiences. Ways of self-harming can for example be cutting, overusing binders or burning yourself. After an incident of self-harming you may feel a short-term sense of release, but the cause of your distress is unlikely to have gone away.
Suicidal Thoughts
Identifying as LGBTQ+ can mean that you are more likely to experience suicidal thoughts or feelings at some point. Suicidal feelings can mean having thoughts about ending your life, whether you think of a plan to do so or have more abstract thoughts.
If you are feeling suicidal, you might be scared or confused by these thoughts and feelings and you may find it overwhelming. But you are not alone and there is support available.
Disclaimer
The information on this website should not be taken as a substitute for professional medical advice. If you have any concerns regarding your own health or that of any other individual you should contact your GP, support organisations or a sexual health clinic as soon as possible.
Depression
Is a low mood that can last a long time or keep returning, affecting your everyday life. Symptoms can vary between individuals but some common psychological symptoms are: Continuous low mood or sadness, feeling hopeless and helpless, Having low self-esteem, feeling tearful, feeling anxious or worried or having suicidal thoughts or thoughts of harming yourself. Some common physical symptoms are: Moving or speaking more slowly than usual, changes in appetite or weight (usually decreased, but sometimes increased), constipation and low sex drive (loss of libido).
Stress
Most people feel stressed sometimes and some people find stress helpful or even motivating. But if stress is affecting your life, there are things you can try that may help. Some signs of stress can be: Being irritable, angry, impatient or wound up, feeling over-burdened or overwhelmed, being anxious, nervous or afraid, feel like your thoughts are racing and you can't switch off, and like you've lost your sense of humour. Physical signs can also come out in anxiety attacks, feeling sick, dizzy or fainting, and fatigue.
Anxiety
Anxiety is a feeling of stress, panic or fear that can affect your everyday life physically and psychologically. We all feel some anxiety at some points in our life, for example for exams, job interviews or a big move. Some anxiety is normal and usually resolved by itself in a relatively short amount of time. General Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is however a long-term condition that can make us feel anxious about a wide range of situations and issues, rather than one specific event.
Low - Self Esteem
Self-esteem, also often thought of as self-confidence, is how we value and perceive ourselves. It's based on our opinions and beliefs about ourselves, which can feel difficult to change. When we have a low-esteem, we can see ourselves as having little value, criticising our selves unfairly, and feeling hopeless. There is help and support available to help grow our self-esteem.
Self - Harming
We who identify as LGBTQ+ are more likely to self-harm at some point during our lifetime. Self-harm is defined as when you hurt yourself as a way of dealing with difficult feelings, painful memories or overwhelming situations and experiences. Ways of self-harming can for example be cutting, overusing binders or burning yourself. After an incident of self-harming you may feel a short-term sense of release, but the cause of your distress is unlikely to have gone away.
Suicidal Thoughts
Identifying as LGBTQ+ can mean that you are more likely to experience suicidal thoughts or feelings at some point. Suicidal feelings can mean having thoughts about ending your life, whether you think of a plan to do so or have more abstract thoughts.
If you are feeling suicidal, you might be scared or confused by these thoughts and feelings and you may find it overwhelming. But you are not alone and there is support available.
Disclaimer
The information on this website should not be taken as a substitute for professional medical advice. If you have any concerns regarding your own health or that of any other individual you should contact your GP, support organisations or a sexual health clinic as soon as possible.
