Impact of societal oppression on the mental health of LGBTQI+ persons (Reading)

LGBTQI+ persons experience various forms of oppression and discrimination on a daily basis, costing them their quality of life, healthy sense of self, the good state of their interpersonal relationships at home, school or work. So, in view of this context in which LGBTQI+ people live, it is important to realise one crucial aspect when we talk about mental health related issues. When a client with a different sexual orientation and/or gender identity seeks psychological and/or emotional support, one should not look for the reason of the client’s struggles in their sexuality or gender. To assume that diverse sexuality and gender identity imply psychopathology is simply untrue and utterly damaging. It is not because someone is gay, lesbian, trans or non-conforming that they are experiencing psychological struggles but, in many cases, because of all the prejudices and unpleasant events that they experience due to the systems of oppression in which they live.

Shame, due to all these systems of oppression, is at the core of many psychological issues and most people at some point in their lives will feel this intense emotion. But LGBTQI+ persons experience shame in isolation and they feel it systemically. Imagine feeling ashamed of who you are, who you love. Imagine feeling the agonising fear of anybody else knowing about you. Imagine feeling like this every day. Our beliefs are shaped from a very early age by the context we are living in, it is the messages we hear on a daily basis from our family, media, our teachers and friends about LGBTQI+ people that shape our views. So when there is a negative perception and rejection of one’s sexual orientation and/or gender identity, especially by the closest people, relatives, loved ones, it could result in many psychological issues. It is not uncommon that LGBTIQ+ persons are reduced to one aspect of their personality in a way that being a lesbian/gay/trans/queer/etc. suddenly becomes the only important thing, like a lense that their environment looks at them through, and leaving out all the other positive and negative characteristics of the LGBTIQ+ person’s identity, the history they have together, the memories etc. So, it may take years and years until a person is ready to move on to accepting their diverse identity.

Self-acceptance and integrating the sexual orientation aspect in one’s identity is a very individual and complex process, but what research has indicated is that the greatest predictor of LGBTQI+ people’s mental well-being and quality of life is the support of their family. The more supported a person feels, the higher the levels of well-being, the better the general health, and there is a significantly decreased risk for suicide, depression, and substance abuse (Ryan, 2009). Research (The Trevor Project’s National Survey on LGBTQ+ Youth Mental Health, 2019) also shows it might only take one accepting adult in the life of the LGBTQI+ adolescent for the chance of suicide attempt to be reduced by 40%. Supporting clients in building their own support network of people is a crucial task, and it can also mean finding relevant supporters (teacher, guidance counsellor, mentor, instructor, trainer. Also, being the one or one of the accepting person(s) makes a world of positive change to LGBTQI+ persons and definitely serves as an essential protective factor, improving their mental health.