A recent study, titled, Suicide and Suicide Risk in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Populations: Review and Recommendations, assembled by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention has been released through the Journal of Homosexuality. Twenty-six researchers, clinicians, educators and policy experts were involved. The report studies the prevalence and underlying causes of suicidal behavior in the LGBT community.
The study set out to…Summarize what is currently known about completed suicide, suicide
attempts and suicide risk across the lifespan…Identify knowledge gaps most in need of future research, and make recommendations for how these can be addressed, and…Offer recommendations for applying what is already known to reduce suicidal behavior and suicide risk in sexual minority populations.
The study ties the rate of LGBT suicide to the inequities of civil rights in the LGBT community. Some conclusions the study come to are to…Advocate for anti-bullying and safe schools legislation, and for the specific inclusion of sexual orientation and gender identity in protective legislation
related to school safety…Advocate for changes in all federal and state laws and regulations that
create inequities based on sexual orientation or gender identity and have been shown to have negative mental health outcomes or otherwise heighten suicide risk for LGBT people…Advocate for improved access to mental health services through nondiscrimination policies and expansion of health insurance coverage to same-sex partners…Advocate for legislation requiring measures of sexual orientation and gender identity to be incorporated into federally supported benchmark surveys and other population-based databases related to health and mental health, so that the consequences of inequities affecting LGBT people can be more fully identified.
READ OR DOWNLOAD THE STUDY HERE
