Trigger warning: This blog includes references to historical and ongoing harm experienced by LGBTQ+ communities. This includes mental health challenges, self-harm and suicide statistics, historical and ongoing discrimination against LGBTQIA+ people, and healthcare systems and practices that have caused harm, particularly to trans people. Please take care while reading and step away if you need to. LGBT+ History Month is a time to reflect, learn, and better understand the experiences of LGBTQ+ people, including how history and systems have shaped mental health today.

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A Key Fact About LGBTQ+ Mental Health

LGBTQ+ people do not experience poorer mental health because of who they are. They are more likely to experience mental health problems because of discrimination, judgement, and misunderstanding.

Understanding Mental Health Disparities

Historically, LGBTQIA+ identities were criminalised, medicalised, or excluded from care. These systems shaped access to support, safety, and trust in healthcare.

Trans people were especially affected by this history. Healthcare access was often conditional or denied altogether. Trans identities were treated as a disease and heavily controlled. These experiences continue to influence mental health outcomes today.

What the Evidence Shows

The data reflects the impact of discrimination and barriers to care:

• LGB+ people are 2.2 times more likely to self-harm - LGB+ people have a 2.2 times higher risk of suicide
• Trans people face up to a five times higher risk of long-term mental health conditions
• One in eight LGBT people aged 18 to 24 reported attempting suicide in the past year in 2024

Sources: Stonewall 2018, Office for National Statistics 2021 to 2023, and The Lancet Public Health 2024.

These Outcomes Are Not Inevitable

Mental health inequalities are shaped by discrimination, stigma, and barriers to care, not by identity.

When systems become safer, more inclusive, and more accessible, mental health outcomes improve. LGBT+ History Month is about learning, not just remembering. Understanding the facts helps challenge harmful assumptions that still affect LGBTQ+ people today.

Support Is Available

At Mental Health Matters, we provide inclusive and accessible mental health support for everyone. If past experiences, discrimination, or fear of services are affecting your wellbeing, you are not alone. Support is available.