With an aim of connecting organisations and communities to the latest information, activities, resources and research, the Life in Mind team are reviewing ‘Understanding LGBTI+ lives in crisis’ this week, a research report which explores the needs of LGBTI+ people during a time of personal or mental health crisis.
In partnership with Lifeline Australia, and with support from QLife and ACON, the research report presents findings of lesbian (L), gay (G), bisexual (B), transgender (T), intersex people (I), and other sexual identity and gender diverse individuals (+) use of crisis support services (CSS) in Australia.
The report builds on a significant body of research demonstrating higher rates of suicidal ideation, self-harm, and poorer mental health in LGBTI+ people when compared to heterosexual and cisgender* populations.
The report identifies that there is still little known about where and whom LGBTI+ people turn to during a time of personal or mental health crisis, and why they choose to access certain pathways and not others.
The results of the study highlight that over 71% of participants chose not to use a crisis support services during their most recent personal or mental health crises. It was found that the key barriers to accessing these services include: anticipation of discrimination, lack of awareness of mainstream crisis support services and LGBTI+ specialist counselling and services and physical, technological and financial barriers to access crisis support services.
Understanding LGBTI+ lives in crisis recommends opportunities for mainstream crisis support and mental health support services to engage positively with the LGBTI+ community, and to address the barriers that LGBTI+ Australians have identified in accessing crisis support services.
Life in Mind supports mental health and suicide prevention for LGBTI+ communities and hosts a range of information and resources specific to LGBTI+ people and communities which can be viewed here.
For more information on Understanding LGBTI+ lives in crisis and all the key findings and recommendations that address the barriers that LGBTI+ Australians have identified in accessing crisis support services, read the research report online via Lifeline.
*Cisgender describes a person whose gender conforms to the dominant social expectations of the sex they were assigned at birth.
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