Counseling and LGBTQ+
By Adam Elliott, ALC
While this may come as no surprise to members of it, the LGBTQ+ community struggles with mental health issues at a much higher rate than many other groups. This is not a result of their gender identity or sexual attraction, but of unique stressors they often have to face as a result of how others treat them. Having to deal with the stress of figuring out who you are, having to plan how to come out safely, and dealing with discrimination from those around them are just a few of the stressors they experience that can cause them to develop mental health struggles. As a result they struggle with much higher rates of anxiety and depression, not to mention the trauma they often experience along their journey that they have to process and deal with. Unfortunately it is common for LGBTQ+ individuals to try to cope with these problems by self medicating with substances, which is why they also show a higher rate of substance abuse and other unhealthy coping mechanisms as they try to handle what they are going through the best they can. All of this means that many people in the LGBTQ+ community can benefit greatly from seeing a therapist; having a safe space to talk with someone about what they are struggling with and learn healthier ways to actually process their feelings can have a tremendous impact on their long term quality of life. Below we will look at three common struggles that I often see when working with LGBTQ+ clients and how therapy can help you deal with them if you are also struggling!
DEPRESSION
Depression is one of the more common mental health issues that LGBTQ+ individuals struggle with, and unfortunatly it results in their much higher rates of suicide and suicidal ideation. Depression can often look like a strong lack of motivation and energy to tackle each day, getting out of bed can seem like a hopeless fight some days. It can also look like having an overall feeling of hopelessness and a barrage of negative thoughts throughout the day, negative thoughts about ourselves or how there is no point in trying. This can be a scary hole to fall into and one that it feels impossible to get ourselves out of once we are in it. As mentioned before this is often a result of the lack of support LGBTQ+ persons experience from those around them, feeling misunderstood or often times actively threatened. Depression is also very common in persons who are still struggling with their identity, or aren't able to fully be themselves due to the circumstances they live in. This is why counseling can be such an important tool to use; as it can help show us how to process and work through these thoughts and feelings without letting them control our lives for us, as well as showing us how we can refocus our lives onto the support and love we do have which can often feel overshadowed by the negatives. Being able to focus on your purpose in life and what fulfills you is something that can help you climb out of this pit and start living your life the way you want to.
ANXIETY
As with depression, anxiety is another mental health issue that LGBTQ+ persons struggle with at a higher rate. And like with depression it is highly related to their surrounding environment and support systems. As a result of the high levels of stress that being LGBTQ+ in an unsupportive environment can bring, not to mention the trauma that they often go through, anxiety can often develop as our minds feel overloaded by potential threats and start to look for them everywhere. Anxiety can look like constant racing thoughts about what could go wrong, or like an ever present feeling of nervous energy that causes us to feel restless, and often focuses around a feeling of a lack of control in our lives. And while there can be real threats that we have to consider, anxiety can make it hard to distinguish between what is real and imagined. In counseling I work with clients to teach them how to see these thoughts for what they really are, our minds' natural response to overwhelming stress, and how they can start focusing on the parts of their lives they can control. I also go over how learning to be in the present moment, instead of the future or past where anxiety tries to force you to be, can allow us to make the choices we want instead of letting anxiety live our life for us.
Trauma
As is the running theme, LGBTQ+ individuals are also at a much higher risk of developing PTSD than CIS/Hetero persons. As the National Alliance on Mental Illness describes it, ”The LGBTQ+ community faces many forms of discrimination, including: labeling, stereotyping, denial of opportunities or access, and verbal, mental and physical abuse. They are one of the most targeted communities by perpetrators of hate crimes in the country.” This is often a reason that they develop depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues. Repeated exposure to trauma can have serious negative impacts on our wellbeing, and in my opinion it is one of the most important reasons for members of the LGBTQ+ community to seek counseling. While it can be difficult to open up about these things and to start facing them, having a place to process what you have been through and how it has impacted you is a crucial step in being able to take full control of your life. We shouldn’t ignore how our past has affected us, this only leads to it festering under the surface or us trying to find unhealthy ways to cope with it.
If you are struggling mentally and are ready to make a change, then it might be time to reach out to a professional to get the help needed so that you can start living your life the way you want!
