Supporting Mental Illness in the LGBTQ+ Community

Why is substance abuse and addiction so prevalent among the LGBTQ+ community? In a world in which diversity should be celebrated, the LGBTQ+ community can find themselves excluded. Approximately 20-30% of the LGBTQ+ community suffers from substance abuse , compared to roughly 9% of the general population as a whole. This can include but is not limited to  marijuana, opioids, smoking/vaping, amphetamines, heroin and alcohol. For LGBTQ+ youths of color, the increased risk is even higher. So the question stands - why are these individuals struggling so greatly and what can we do to help? Sexual minorities experience a range of challenges the rest of the population isn’t as often affected by. These challenges can  include but are not limited to: A negative stigma/discrimination based solely on their sexual orientation. Rejection by family and friends. Lack of support from the community as a whole. Discrimination at work through job loss or being passed up for promotions. Internalized homophobia and self-identifying with anti-gay stigmas. Hate crimes, threats and public humiliation. LGBTQ+ individuals might also be likelier to experience: Sexual abuse/assault. Sexual dysfunction. Compulsive sexual behavior. This can further spiral into mental health issues like: Unhealthy levels of stress. Self-harming and attempted suicide. Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Major depressive disorder. This can lend to LGTBQ+ individuals dealing with co-occurring mental or sexual disorders. Unfortunately, young transgender people have higher levels of depression, suicide, self-harm and eating disorders.  Oftentimes, individuals, including those in the LBGTQ+ community, might attempt to self-soothe in order to deal with negative circumstances by turning to drugs and alcohol. Sadly, he LGBTQ+ substance abuse statistics confirm it. For example, one study shows that transgender students are 2.5 times likelier to use cocaine or meth. In addition, they’retwice as likely to abuse prescription medications, like opioids and benzodiazepines. Lastly, for young adults who are in the sexual minorities, 12.4% have reported an alcohol use disorder, compared to 10.1% for the general population. So what can be done to help… LGBTQ+ substance abuse treatment Traditional therapeutic methods might not be the best approach for LGBTQ+ individuals. Substance abuse isn’t always the root of the problem—oftentimes it’s a byproduct. Counseling the LGBTQ+ community requires a specialized approach as  we must address all of the varying factors that are contributing to LGBTQ+ individuals’ struggling mental and physical health. This includes addressing social isolation, family issues and even violence, among other things.  Furthermore, sexual minorities might be afraid to seek help out of fear of rejection by a therapist;group therapy can be intimidating and clients are unsure  if they’re safe to truly let their guards down. Discrimination against LGBTQ+ people can happen anywhere unfortunately—even in a therapist’s office. With mental illness in the LGBTQ+ community more prevalent, receiving mental health counseling online can help to reduce occurrences of depression, anxiety and other disorders. Cerebral offers individual therapy, in a safe, online atmosphere to people across the nation battling mental illness. Talk therapy online gives a person the ability to achieve  healthier ways to cope and manage mental hurdles. Cerebral offers a variety of monthly subscriptions to fit our clients’ needs and goals. In addition, should a client and their therapist decide that medication is necessary, we deliver it right to their front door. Ways to support the LGBTQ+ community How can we all take part in building a more inclusive society? Here are just a few suggestions. If you see something, speak up! Is an LGBTQ+ coworker being treated unfairly? Report it to your manager. Make sure your coworker knows you are an ally. Think before speaking - if you think your joke or comment might offend someone; then do not say it.  Be inclusive. LGBTQ+ people often experience social isolation. Make a point of including everyone!!. Confront your own biases. Challenge yourself to stop making assumptions about people just because of their gender or sexuality. Start a dialogue with someone; learn about who they are and educate yourself at the same time. Additional addiction resources for LGBTQ+ Cerebral’s goal is to make therapy available, accessible and affordable. There are additional places one can turn to, on the internet, if they need support. If someone is in crisis and needs immediate help, Crisis Text Line connects crisis counselors with individuals in need. It’s free, 24/7 support that you can access right at your fingertips. Just text HOME to 741741 and you’ll be connected to a trained counselor. They’ll help take you from a “hot moment” to a “cool moment.” The Trevor Project offers a similar service. Counselors are available by online chat, call and text. They listen without judgment. The Trevor Project also offers an international community for people ages 13-24. Trans Lifeline is run by trans people, for trans people. They have hotlines for both trans people, as well as, family and friends. They offer full anonymity and confidentiality and calls are always secure. Thrive Lifeline is a community of trained crisis responders and suicide interveners. If you’re 18+, you can receive judgment-free, confidential text messaging. If you’re a relative or friend of an LGBTQ+ person, PFLAG can help. They provide an abundance of resources on how to be an ally. Countering the unique obstacles that LGBTQ+ people face starts right at home with family and friends. A more inclusive and accepting community means fewer sexual minorities suffering. Take the next step with Cerebral The stigma surrounding mental health treatment persists. But Cerebral aims to shine a light on emotional wellness. This Pride Month, and every month, our goal is to reach and guide as many LGBTQ+ individuals as possible. If you or someone you know is dealing with a substance abuse issue, or if your mental health is otherwise suffering, help is a few clicks away. Get started by taking our free emotional assessment so we can learn more about you. Someone from our team will reach out with the next steps.

Romantic relationships can be really hard work!  Whether you’ve just met or you’ve been together for a while, it can be hard to tell from the inside if your relationship is healthy. And if you have a particularly challenging history with relationships, it can be even more difficult.  This is especially true when you’re in the honeymoon phase of your relationship. If you’re in a new relationship, you probably see your partner through a pair of rose-colored glasses. You might see them as the most fantastic, perfect person in the world.  Rose-colored glasses make it much harder to tell whether your relationship is healthy or not. This quote from BoJack Horseman sums it up well:  “When you look at someone through rose-colored glasses, all the red flags just look like flags.” Ignoring red flags and ending up in a toxic relationship can do some major damage to your mental health. It’s important to know what a healthy relationship is like so that you don’t end up in a toxic situation.  So what does a healthy relationship look like? Not every relationship looks the same. However, there are some definitive signs that can help you see if yours is healthy. Here are a few: Signs of a healthy relationship You trust each other When you’re in a healthy relationship, you have to be able to trust each other. This means trusting them with things like staying faithful, spending money, and making parenting decisions. Without a sense of trust, there’s no sense of security. That means there’s no solid foundation for you to build a healthy connection.  Your lives don’t revolve around each other It’s important for both your relationship and your mental health to have a life and identity of your own. That means not dropping your friends, hobbies, or interests just because you’re in a relationship. Your partner is meant to enhance your life, not become your life. There’s a misconception that your partner is supposed to ‘complete’ you. Believing that can lead to toxic and codependent relationships.  You communicate openly and honestly with each other Being able to open up to one another is an essential part of every healthy relationship. This means feeling safe to talk about what’s going on in your life and things that are on your mind. This can take time. Your partner might not understand your communication style right away, and vice versa. Dr. Gary Chapman, author of The 5 Love Languages, suggests sometimes it takes a bit of time to learn and adjust to how your partner speaks and hears love. You’re comfortable around one another Being able to be yourself around your partner is a good sign that they are accepting and that your connection is strong.  Do you find yourself walking on eggshells or being uncomfortable and anxious around your partner? That may be your body telling you that there’s something wrong.  You handle and resolve conflict together Just because you’re in a healthy relationship doesn’t mean that you’ll never fight. In fact, every healthy relationship involves conflict. Being able to handle conflict effectively with your partner is a good sign of a healthy dynamic. This means that when you and your partner fight, you handle it together as a team. You address the issue together and find a way to compromise with one another. You keep the intimacy alive Physical intimacy like sex or cuddling is important in a relationship. This can vary over time, but making sure you’re keeping that part of your relationship alive is part of being in a healthy relationship. You should also keep the emotional intimacy alive in your relationship. This could look like checking in with each other regularly or doing meaningful activities together. Or, it could mean trying something new together. You spend a healthy amount of time together It’s important to maintain your individuality outside of your relationship. Yet, that doesn’t mean that you have to lead entirely separate lives. Being in a healthy relationship includes spending quality time with one another. You could go on regular date nights, exercise together, or plan a trip together. You respect one another Respect is an extremely important part of being in a healthy relationship. Respect can mean setting healthy relationship boundaries with one another. It also means respecting those boundaries when they are enforced. It can also mean respecting each other’s differences and needs. This includes not devaluing or belittling your partner to their face or behind their back. You’re affectionate and playful with one another Who wants to be in a boring relationship? If you can joke around and be lighthearted with each other, that’s a great sign that your relationship is on healthy ground.  Sharing playful moments and being affectionate with one another can help you build a strong relationship and deepen your connection.  You’re interested in each other’s lives Being genuinely curious about your partner and their thoughts, wishes, desires, or mundane daily activities is a surefire sign that you’re in a healthy partnership.  This goes both ways. Your partner should be interested in your thoughts, wishes, desires, or whatever makes you tick.  It can be hard to tell from the inside whether you’re in a healthy relationship. But, these signs are a great place to start. If you’re having relationship difficulties, it can help to do individual therapy before doing couples counseling. Sometimes we bring past relationship experiences into our current one without realizing it. Working with a therapist on your own can help you process them. Even if you’re in a healthy relationship, seeing an individual therapist can help you develop communication and conflict resolution skills. They can act as an outside observer and give you an unbiased perspective on your relationship that your friends or family can’t give you. They can also help you see whether you or your partner are exhibiting healthy boundaries in relationships. No matter where you’re at in your relationship journey, Cerebral can help! These resources are a great place to start: What is My Attachment Style? The 5 Love Languages 6 Steps to Nurture Your Inner Child How to Meditate: A Guide for Beginners Distress Tolerance Skills Clinically reviewed by Scott Tony Reigle, PhD, LPC, CCTP-II, CCFP

Happy Pride Month! Here at Cerebral, we support every member of the LGBTQ+ community and support the rich history of the movement. Mental health is especially important for the LGBTQ+ community, and we’re proud to do everything we can to provide treatment to everyone who needs it.  Just how important is mental health to the LGBTQ+ community? About 4.5% of the US population identifies as LGBTQ+. Of these individuals, 39% reported living with a mental health condition in the past year. Compare that to roughly 20% of U.S. adults in the general population who experience mental illness in a given year. As part of a vulnerable community, LGBTQ+ individuals are at high risk for experiencing shame, fear, and discrimination surrounding their identity. Discrimination, in turn, is associated with higher rates of mental health disorders, substance abuse, and suicide among the community.  As a result, mental health issues disproportionately affect the LGBTQ+ community. For example, LGBTQ+ adults are more than twice as likely than heterosexual adults to experience a mental health condition. They’re also 13% more likely to experience symptoms that interfere with major life activities, compared to 4% of heterosexual adults. Transgender adults are almost four times as likely to live with a mental health condition than cisgender adults. Tragically, nearly 40% of transgender adults have attempted suicide in their lifetimes, compared to less than 5% of the general U.S. population.  It’s clear that personal, family, and social acceptance of sexual orientation and gender identity has a significant effect on the mental health and personal safety of LGBTQ+ individuals. Unfortunately, the stigma surrounding the LGBTQ+ community is still alive and well.  That’s where being a good ally comes in. An ally is someone who stands up for and supports the community by trying to make the world a better place for LGBTQ+ individuals. Good allies are crucial to reducing stigma and making LGBTQ+ individuals feel more open and accepted for who they are. How can I be a good ally? Buying lots of rainbow clothes and going to parades can be really fun, but these things alone don’t automatically make you a good ally. Genuine allyship means more than that. A good ally understands that allyship isn’t a label—it’s a lifelong set of behaviors and actions that support the LGBTQ+ community, both publicly and privately.   Listen, learn, and educate yourself As a good ally, you are willing to have open conversations and listen to someone’s experiences without making them about you. If someone is comfortable being vulnerable with you to share their experiences, it’s important for you to truly listen and see where they’re coming from, without projecting your own experience onto them. You should also respect how much someone is willing to share with you. It’s not fair to ask anyone to educate you on an entire community’s history and experience. No one should be treated like a search engine! Luckily, there’s a ton of resources online for you to educate yourself in order to develop a true understanding of the LGBTQ+ community.  During this process, someone will inevitably correct you on something, but there’s no need to be defensive. Good allies make mistakes all the time, and being able to recognize that, apologize, and learn from them is most important. Uplift and empower LGBTQ+ voices Empower the community by taking the time to uplift LGBTQ+ speakers, authors, musicians, writers, and anyone who can confidently speak on their life experiences with being queer. Read books by queer authors, listen to podcasts, watch documentaries on LGBTQ+ history, and share these voices on your feed and in real life. Use inclusive language Language is powerful, and using the proper words when it comes to someone’s gender identity or sexual orientation is an important part of being a good ally. Some examples include: Using terms like “everyone” or “you all” to address a group instead of something like “ladies” or “guys.” Not using slurs or phrases like “that’s so gay” to insult someone or something. Learning and respecting people’s pronouns, even if it doesn’t come naturally to you at first.  Confront your own prejudices and biases Nearly everyone has biases and assumptions that they don’t realize they even have. Good allies acknowledge and confront them. Reflect on what your own prejudices and biases may be. Start by asking yourself some questions. What are some jokes you’ve made or laughed at in the past that were disrespectful? Are you making assumptions about someone’s lifestyle because of their sexual or gender identity? Do you automatically assume someone’s sex or gender because of the way they look?  As a good ally, reflecting on your past beliefs and assumptions and deconstructing them will help break down the stigma. Recognize your own privilege The majority of us have some type of privilege, and it’s important to acknowledge your own privilege when being a good ally. There’s no need to feel defensive about being straight, able-bodied, cis-gendered, or any other type of privileged, as long as you understand what that means. Understanding your own privilege will help you empathize with the oppressions of other groups. Advice from Cerebral’s Mental Health Professionals Some advice on being a good ally from our mental health professionals: “Just be there. Listen to them. Be curious and ask questions with an open mind to whatever the answer may be. You could say something along the lines of, ‘Though I don't fully understand what it's like for you, I accept you and I want to learn how I can best support you in your experience.’” – Joshua Simpson, ASW “Actively listening to someone who is LGBTQIA+ can sometimes be the biggest way to show support. Other ways to support could be to join them at a local pride parade/event, listen to LGBTQIA+ podcasts, ask questions from a caring place and normalize queer relationships. Try to remove assumptions or expectations. Each person experiences life within the LGBTQIA+ community differently, and it could mean a lot to remain open to what that could look like for different people, even if they identify similarly.” – Danielle Hadar, LCSW “Accept them for who they are, even if you don't understand them. You do not have to understand a person to respect them. Acceptance and respect are the bare minimum. Use the terminology they use. If you don't know what something means, either ask them or look it up yourself. Do not make judgements, jokes, assumptions about their identity. If you have a (respectful) question, then ask. If they don't answer, respect that.  Do not ask invasive/inappropriate questions. If you wouldn't want to be asked the question, don't ask them. Ask your person how you can support them and then do what they tell you (which might include leaving them alone, and that is okay!). Follow LGBTQ+ advocacy organizations (PFLAG is a great national option) and seek ally support if you need it. Having accepting and supportive people in their life significantly reduces the risk of suicide in LGBTQ+ people.” –Laura Conner, LCSW To the LGBT community: How do you help allies support you? When you’re a queer individual, it may feel really difficult to receive support from someone outside of the community. If you’d like to help people become better allies to the LGBTQ+ community, here are some ways to help them understand: Be patient Some people are still learning how to relate to the queer community, and still have decades of wrong assumptions and beliefs to work through. You are in no way responsible for educating someone on an entire movement on your own, but if you’d like to be patient with them, you could direct them to a website with a list of LGBTQ+ resources.  Tell your story in your own words Your experience is valuable and part of the rich tapestry of strands that connects the LGBTQ+ community. If you feel comfortable opening up, sharing your own experiences of what it’s like to be queer will help other people better understand what the world’s like from someone else’s eyes.  Don’t discount your own experiences Just because your experience doesn’t match up perfectly with someone else’s expectations doesn’t mean that your experiences aren’t valid. If someone is making you feel small, there’s no need to continue indulging them. Stand firm in your own identity and walk away from anyone who wants to tell you otherwise. Resources Good allies are powerful advocates for the LGBTQ+ community. Some resources to help you on your journey include: Cerebral: Coming Out Workbook LGBT National Help Center Trans Lifeline The Trevor Project National Center for Transgender Equality  Trans Student Educational Resources If you or a loved one is struggling with LGBTQ+ identity and mental health, these numbers are available 24/7:  Trevor Lifeline: 1-866-488-7386 Trans Lifeline: 1-877-565-8860 SAGE National LGBT Elder Hotline: 1-877-360-LGBT (5428) National Suicide Prevention Lifeline for LGBTQ+ Community: 1-800-273-8255 Being a good ally is more than just being there for others; it means being there for yourself too. If you could use some mental health help, Cerebral offers affordable, convenient, and high-quality online care. Click below to learn more! Medically reviewed by: David Mou, MD, MBA