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Winter 2009/10 | Vol 13 No 2

Research update

Mark de la Hey

Mental health and / or addiction treatment more common among sexual minorities

Men and women who are lesbian, gay or bisexual are significantly more likely than heterosexuals to receive treatment for mental health or substance use disorders, according to a study from the University of California, Los Angeles. The study was based on interviews with 2,074 California adults who were selected for sexual orientation minority status. Twenty-nine per cent of the sample had received treatment for mental health, alcohol or other substance abuse problems in the previous 12 months. However, lesbian and bisexual women were much more likely to receive such treatment, at 55 per cent, compared with 43 per cent of gay and bisexual men, 27 per cent of heterosexual women and 17 per cent of heterosexual men. Even among those who had no diagnosed disorder, 44 per cent of lesbian and bisexual women nonetheless received treatment, compared with 31 per cent of gay and bisexual men, 17 per cent of heterosexual women and 10 per cent of heterosexual men. The higher rates of treatment among sexual minorities may be due to cultural norms favouring help-seeking among sexual minorities, as well as to greater exposure to discrimination, violence and other stressful life events. The differences in treatment may also reflect cultural norms among gay and lesbian communities that see therapeutic services as “appropriate places for coping with the stresses associated with being a sexual minority.” Furthermore, they may reflect a persistent tendency to view homosexuality as a mental illness. Future research into the effects of treatment for sexual minorities who do not have diagnosable disorders could help determine whether such treatment can reduce the likelihood that an individual will progress to more severe levels of illness.

BMC Psychiatry, August 14, 2009, v. 9(52), doi:10.1186/1471-244X-9-52. Christine E. Grella et al., Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, California.