Shining a Light on LGBTQIA+ Mental Health

Embrace the Light and Spark Awareness

There is always a brilliant light of hope—even in the face of rising mental health challenges and heartbreaking suicide statistics among LGBTQIA+ communities.

Awareness is not abstract. It’s personal. It begins in the quiet corners of our lives, in the moments we rarely talk about—the moments that shape us. Often, conversation sparks awareness. And sometimes, awareness begins with a warm, golden light shining in a bedroom at night, when the world is quiet, and the mind is not.

Framed Memories to Long-Lasting Love

The room is dim, lit only by the soft amber glow of a bedside lamp. Outside, a car hums down the street, headlights sweeping across the blinds like a passing thought.  A clock ticks steadily. Unbothered. Unaware. The room is quiet except for the gentle rhythm of his breathing—steady, familiar, a sound that has become the soundtrack of my life.

Framed memories decorate the walls and sit atop our wooden dresser. A gentle smile lifts my cheeks.

I look over at him sleeping, the soft glow of the bedside lamp brushing warmth across his face. My heart fills with gratitude and immense joy for our thirty years of tears and triumphs, laughter and learning, rainstorms and rainbows.

Who am I to be so lucky?

Thank you, God.

Empowerment, Pride, and Peaceful Acceptance

At more than seventy years old, I finally feel a peaceful acceptance of myself—a sense of wholeness I once believed was impossible. This man beside me is my anchor, my companion, my true love. Our life together is rich and real, built on devotion to God, respect, honest communication, and a deep spiritual bond.

It wasn’t always this way. There was a time when I felt out of place, lost, and painfully alone. A time when I carried a secret I didn’t have the understanding or safety to share. Growing up as a bisexual, disabled girl in the 1960s meant living in a world where my identity had no name, no welcome, and no place to land. Suicidal ideation, depression, and isolation were frequent visitors then.

I think to myself, You should be sleeping. What are you feeling?

Echoes of Early Years

Even now, decades later, I sometimes feel the echoes of those early years. People assume that a bisexual person in a monogamous “straight-looking” relationship is “cured.” Their bisexuality has evaporated.

These misconceptions don’t just distort the truth—they wound.
They erase.
They isolate.

Science tells us that sexual orientation is a complex, innate, interplay of genetics, prenatal hormones, and neural development—not a simple, temporary reaction. Misconceptions contribute to the mental health struggles of so many LGBTQIA+ people.

It’s time to face the falsehoods.

Promiscuous by Default

Muted by Misconceptions

One of the most persistent and painful misconceptions LGBTQIA+ people face is the belief that queer equals hypersexuality—people desperately seeking sex with everyone, all the time. One’s sexuality simply means the biochemical capacity to be attracted to one gender, or, in the case of bisexuality, more than one gender. It says nothing about loyalty, family values, or the structure of relationships.

These questions aren’t just awkward—they’re rooted in stereotypes that reduce sexuality to a behavior. Misconceptions mute and carry consequences.

While studies have reported higher numbers of sexual partners among gay men, these findings are often inaccurately used to stereotype the entire community. Many LGBTQIA+ people are monogamous and seek or have found long-term, committed relationships.

The Weight of Misunderstanding

Misconceptions can lead to:

• Shame
• Identity suppression
• Fear of judgment
• Relationship strain
• Social exclusion
• Internalized stigma

The Hidden Hurt: Mental Health Disparities

Double Discrimination and Triple Jeopardy

Researchers say that transgender, nonbinary, and bisexual adults experience “double discrimination” or “triple jeopardy,” a stigma from heterosexual society and from within the LGBTQ+ community. Even in “straight‑appearing” relationships, they often face:

• Identity erasure
• Invalidation
• Lack of belonging
• Internalized shame
• Employment discrimination (up to 60% for nonbinary)

This results in higher rates of mental health challenges among nonbinary, transgender, and bisexual adults compared to gay men or lesbians, such as:

• depression
• anxiety
• suicidal ideation
• identity invalidation

These emotional stressors accumulate, shape mental health, influence self‑esteem, and often go unspoken.

The Numbers Behind the Narratives

Let’s take a look at the facts.

• LGBTQ+ adults experience mental‑health conditions at more than twice the rate of heterosexual adults.
• LGB adults report major depressive episodes at 26.2%, compared with 6.8% of heterosexual adults.
• Anxiety disorders occur at 1.5-2 times higher rates among LGBTQ+ adults.
• LGBTQ+ youth consistently report significantly higher suicidal ideation.
• 18.1% of LGB adults report suicidal thoughts, compared to 3.7% of heterosexual adults.
• Approximately 40% of bisexual people have considered or attempted suicide, compared to just over 25% of gay men and lesbians.
• Nearly two-thirds (64%) of transgender adults have considered suicide in their lifetime, compared to 55% of bisexual and 35% of gay/lesbian adults.
• Transgender adults report mental‑health disorders at nearly four times the rate of cisgender adults.
• Transgender adults are nearly nine times more likely to attempt suicide.
• The Trevor Project reports 52% of transgender and nonbinary youth seriously considered suicide in the past year.

These numbers are not destiny. They are a call to action. There is hope.

Tools for Tender Times: Mental Health Support

A. Start a Daily Mental Health Routine

• Create a grounding routine (breathing, journaling, meditation).
• Limit exposure to invalidating or hostile environments when possible.
• Practice self‑compassion—speak to yourself the way you would to a friend.
• Move your body gently each day to reduce stress hormones.

B. Build Self‑Esteem

• Affirm your identity—your sexuality is valid, even if others don’t understand it.
• Surround yourself with people who see and respect you.
• Challenge internalized shame with facts and supportive voices.
• Celebrate small victories and moments of authenticity.

C. Suicide Prevention & Crisis Awareness

• Reach out to someone you trust when thoughts feel heavy.
• Create a safety plan: who to call, where to go, and what helps you feel grounded.
• Seek LGBTQIA+‑affirming mental‑health professionals.
• Remember: suicidal thoughts are a symptom, not a personal failure.

D. Community Support

• Join LGBTQIA+ groups, online or in person.
• Share your story when you feel ready—visibility helps you and others feel less alone.
• Advocate for inclusive mental‑health resources.

Art as a Lantern: The Power of Expressive Arts

As an Expressive Arts Therapist for more than fifty years, I’ve found that the arts are powerful, safe, and transformational tools for helping people shift from shame to shine. You are a bright light and art is your lantern.

Art bypasses the analytical mind and speaks directly to the emotional self—the part of us that longs to be seen and heard.

Exercise: “The Colors of Belonging”

Materials:

Paper + any art materials you enjoy.

Steps:

1. Take a slow breath to feel your body, mind, emotions, and spirit.
2. Choose a color to represent your feelings.
3. Make a single mark—any mark—on the page.
4. Choose a second color that represents what you need.
5. Let the two colors interact.
6. Add shapes, lines, or textures that feel right.
7. Ask yourself:
   • What is this image telling me?
   • What feelings are being expressed through my art?
   • What do I need more of in my life?
   • How can I better care for myself?
   • What needs love right now?

Follow this activity with quiet contemplation, journaling, and thoughts of gratitude. This is not about creating art. It’s about taking time to feel, reveal, and heal.

Cradled in Love

My attention returns to the room, seeing shadows dance in the golden glow of the lamp. Something tightens—a small collapse. Memories of past judgments. Now, in the dim light, the memories return like a scene from a play I’ve watched before.

A quieter truth answers.

You’ve found a long-lasting, loving relationship. You’re no longer bothered by false misunderstandings. You are whole, destined to shine your light and illuminate the world.

I send loving acceptance to old, useless memories and let them go. Awareness begins in the quiet moments and the unspoken truths.

“And so it is.”

My hand slides across the wooden nightstand as I turn off the light, snuggling into bed, cradled in love.

Summary and Call to Self-Care

Despite despairing mental health statistics for LGBTQIA+ adults, doors are opening, and a bright beacon of hope is lighting the world. Change begins with hope, and awareness begins with conversation. Long-lasting loving relationships are what we all seek. Not the surface‑level kind, but the honest, vulnerable kind that says: “I see you. I hear you. And you matter.”

We must begin with honest conversations.

Please join me for the next life-changing episode in The Wellness Universe’s “Take My Hand Support Series, “LGBTQIA+ Mental Health Awareness and Support.” (Find out more below.) If you are suffering and experiencing grief, stress, trauma, or pain, please practice good self-care, seek help as needed, and check out our emergency and crisis information below. Always remember: You are not alone.

Thank you for the many gifts you bring to this world. Your remarkable life is a blessing. You are a beacon of wisdom and truth.

Shine on.

References

• Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). “Key Findings: Sexual Orientation – Mental and Behavioral Health Data Brief.” 2021.
• KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation). Dawson, Lindsey, Brittni Frederiksen, and Michelle Long. Mental Health Care Needs and Experiences Among LGBT+ People. June 30, 2023.
• National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). Mental Health Inequities: LGBTQI Bigotry and Discrimination. 2023.
• Pinsof D, Haselton MG. The effect of the promiscuity stereotype on opposition to gay rights. PLoS One. 2017 Jul 13;12(7):e0178534. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0178534. PMID: 28704375; PMCID: PMC5509117.
• Pratt-Chapman, Mandi L. “Mental Health Disparities Among LGBTQ People in the US—Time to End the Stigma.” JAMA Network Open 8, no. 1 (2025): e2456228.
• The Trevor Project. 2024 U.S. National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ+ Young People. West Hollywood, CA: The Trevor Project, 2024.

About Jean Voice Dart

Jean Voice Dart, MS, RMT, CATP, is an expressive arts therapist, teacher, coach, and multiple #1 best‑selling author. Having experienced chronic pain and trauma as both a child and an adult, she transformed her life from stressed to blessed through the expressive arts. Jean hosts The Wellness Universe’s Take My Hand Support Series and has spent more than fifty years witnessing people feel, reveal, and heal by uncovering buried emotions and rediscovering neglected pathways to joy. She lives near the ocean with her husband, Matt, and their dog Pumpkin.

Connect with Jean on The Wellness Universe and follow her on Instagram and Facebook.

The Wellness Universe: A Safe Community

The Wellness Universe is a safe, supportive community. It provides a directory of health and wellness resources, expert practitioners, and daily or weekly classes and events. Please check The Wellness Universe events page to discover activities, classes, workshops, private sessions, and panel discussions to support your self-care journey. If you are looking for a community focused on mental health and suicide prevention, please join us at The Wellness Universe’s “Take My Hand Support Series,” every other month, on the second Saturday, at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET, in the Wellness Universe online lounge. Find out more and register for this free or pay–as–you–can event.

• The Wellness Universe Classes and Events
• Take My Hand Support Series

Emergency and Crisis Resource List

If you or a friend or loved one is experiencing an urgent emotional, physical, or mental crisis and needs immediate comfort or care, please call 988 in the United States for immediate assistance, or visit https://988lifeline.org/ for an online chat. For additional U.S. or international crisis information and a list of emergency resources and contacts, please check The Wellness Universe Emergency and Crisis Resource List at https://www.thewellnessuniverse.com/emergency-and-crisis-resource-list.

Take My Hand Support Series

Register & Join Live: https://bit.ly/WUTakeMyHandSupportSeries 

A Transformational Journey Workshops

Unlock the full transformational journey with all 29 powerful workshops!

Reflective Journaling for Love

with Jean Voice Dart

Discover The Dream Mirror: Reflective Journaling for Loving Relationships from the Amazon #1 best-selling book, The Wellness Universe Guide to Complete Self-Care: 25 Tools for Transformation. This transformative tool helps you release blocks, deepen self-love, and create lasting, healthy relationships.

Catch the Recording Here

#1 BEST SELLER AVAILABLE NOW!

The Wellness Universe Guide to Complete Self-Care, 25 Tools for Transformation

Come to SoulTreat Retreat 2026

April 28 – May 1

Give yourself the gift of loving self-care. Come to SoulTreat!

The therapeutic retreat you need!

SoulTreat is a conscious wellness retreat designed to help you slow down, reconnect with yourself, regulate your nervous system, and return renewed: grounded, clear, and deeply supported.

Take me to SoulTreat 

From spiritual wellness to self-development, inspiring conversations for mind, body, soul to educational professional development workshops, we have over 1000 transformational classes that are free to join! 
Check out our library of classes today.

See how our self-care books are helping thousands of people around the world. Digital and paperback are available now.
Grab your copy today!

Connect to the people that help you live your best life: The Wellness Universe

All information, content, and material are for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. The information supplied through or on this page, or by any representative or agent of The Wellness Universe, is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical, legal, or other professional advice. Health-related information provided through this website is not a substitute for medical advice and should not be used to diagnose or treat health problems or to prescribe any medical devices or other remedies. The Wellness Universe reserves the right to remove, edit, move, or close any content item for any reason, including, but not limited to, comments that are in violation of the laws and regulations formed pursuant to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. None of the posts and articles on The Wellness Universe page may be reprinted without express written permission.

Jean Voice Dart

Jean Voice Dart is a Certified Expressive Arts and Grief and Trauma Coach (CCF), Credentialed Expressive and Performing Arts Teacher (MS), Registered Music Therapist (RMT), and Master Level Energetic Teacher. Those working with Jean identify, embrace, and release blocked feelings and emotions through the creative, expressive, and performing arts. She has over forty years of experience in private and group sessions, helping people triumph over physical, mental, or emotional challenges.