Bisexuals more prone to mental disorders

Homosexual and bisexual men and women face higher risks of depression, substance abuse and suicidal behaviour than heterosexuals. To find out the prevalence of mental disorders, substance abuse, suicide and deliberate self-harm among lesbian, gay and bisexual people, researchers from Britain analysed the results of the previous 25 studies on sexual orientation and mental health. It was noted that across the studies, gay, lesbian and bisexual adults were at least 50 percent more likely than heterosexuals to have a history of depression or an anxiety disorder. They were also found to have an elevated risk of alcohol problems or other forms of substance abuse, and were more than twice as likely as heterosexuals to have attempted suicide at some point in their lives. The findings strengthen the evidence from smaller studies that gay, lesbian and bisexual people have a relatively higher rate of mental health problems. However, none of this means that homosexuality is itself some type of disorder that gives rise to poorer mental health, stressed the researchers. The study could not examine the reasons for the higher than expected rate of mental disorders and substance abuse. The researchers noted that such mental disorders among gays and bisexuals are not due to their sexuality but might be due to the lifelong stress involved because of the overt and subtle discrimination they face, even in liberal countries. This often leads to social exclusion and rejection by their own families.

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