High rate of mental illness among LGBT community

By Richard Morgan,

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A charity which promotes equality for LGBT people has told Downtown & Cool FM there is a high rate of mental illness among the community.

The Rainbow Project, which has offices in Belfast and Londonderry, looked into the issue in a major study in 2013.

It found a shockingly high number of people who are lesbian, gay, bi-sexual or transgender suffer from a form of depression.

70% of people were identified as having depression, while 35% had self-harmed.

Almost half of LGBT people surveyed had experienced suicidal thoughts.

Malachai O'Hara from the Rainbow Project explained why that may be the case:

"In terms of equality for LGBT people, there has never been any legislation or progress by Stormont on equality.

"It has always been through court cases or brought in by a Labour Secretary of State."

"We also have to consider there are greater levels of poverty in Northern Ireland and generational trauma from the Troubles.

"We are also further behind in LGBT equality and acceptance.

"The Rainbow Project is working for greater tolerance and acceptance of the community which means on a wider society level that inferior status will erode or go away."

Those feelings of inequality and not being accepted have been echoed by members of the LGBT community.

Anthony Flynn, who now chairs Queer Greens (the branch of the Green Party promoting equal rights), was bullied in school and knows how it could easily impact on mental well-being.

"I've never been formally diagnosed with depression or mental illness but it's probably because I never went to a doctor about what I was going through. I was more a suffer in silence person.

"I experienced bullying from first to fifth year in school and it was quite horrific and quite difficult at many points. There was a lot of name calling, a lot of picking me out of a crowd sort of thing."

"Queer Greens is trying to give a voice to these people, to give the trans community, to every part of the LGBT community, a voice to better themselves and lead essentially.

"We have such high rates of self-harm, bullying and suicide among the trans community in particular.

"They are not looked after in terms of mental health provisions.

If you have had an experience with mental illness and want to speak to us about it email news@downtown.co.uk