LGBTQ+ Australians more likely to have experienced mental illness, new Australian Bureau of Statistics report reveals

The ABS has released new data on the mental health of LGBT+ Australians.  (ABC News: Brianna Morris-Grant)

Non-binary Australians are experiencing mental health issues at more than double the rate of men and women, as new data showed higher rates of mental illness and self-harm across the nation’s queer community.

WARNING: This article may contain content that is distressing to some readers.

The ABS data, collected as part of the 2020-2022 National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing, said three in four (74.5 per cent) lesbian, gay, bisexual or otherwise non-heterosexual (LGB+) Australians have experienced a “mental disorder” at some point in their lives.

This was compared with 41.7 per cent of heterosexual Australians.

The bureau defined a “mental disorder” as a “clinically significant disturbance in … cognition, emotional regulation or behaviour”. It noted the term covered a range of disorders including anxiety, affective disorders and substance use.

Almost half of all LBG+ Australians noted high or very high levels of psychological distress compared with one in seven heterosexual people, and 47.8 per cent of LGB+ people had “seriously thought about taking their own life” at some point in their lifetime.

The rate of self-harm among LGB+ Australians was almost six times higher, with 41.2 per cent having self-harmed in their lifetime compared with 7.4 per cent of heterosexual people.

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The report said while “community connectedness and positive relationships” could act as protective factors for members of the community, queer people often experienced “stigma, discrimination, bullying, violence and exclusion”.

“As a result, a higher number of people in LGBTQ+ communities experience poorer social, emotional and psychological wellbeing and mental health,” it said.

“This may lead to issues with work relationships, finances, housing and other elements of life.”

Equality Australia legal director Ghassan Kassisieh said the “sobering” figures were a “wake up call” for the state of mental health among Australia’s queer community.

“It shows that debates about our lives and about our rights are not academic, and they have an impact on people,” he said.

“When our equality is up for discussion, when our laws discriminate against us, when people are still afraid of being who they are or falling in love, these are things that impact on the day-to-day experience of LGBT+ people.”

LGBTIQ+ Health Australia (LHA) chief executive Nicky Bath said the report confirmed “adverse mental health outcomes” related to discrimination and abuse.

“These results highlight the need to foster protective factors that promote mental health and wellbeing,” she said.

“The data on trans and gender diverse people needs rigorous analysis to avoid misinterpretation and misrepresentation, especially in the current environment of transphobic rhetoric that has significant negative health and wellbeing impacts.

“There is so much more we need to know to develop targeted and effective responses to support people experiencing poor mental health.”

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More than four in five non-binary Australians (85.2 per cent) have experienced a mental disorder at some point in their life, compared with two in five men (42.1 per cent) and  women (43.4 per cent).

Four in five (79.6 per cent) had seriously considered suicide, and almost three in four (72.8 per cent) had self-harmed.

The Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society’s Natalie Amos said “stigma, discrimination, assault and harassment” were the main factors affecting the data.

“On top of that there a lot challenges with access to health care services and mental health services, particularly those that are appropriate, culturally safe and affirming of LGBTQ identities,” she said.

“At best [those factors don’t] improve the situation and at worst it can contribute to those harms that are experienced by LGBTQ folks.

“The ideal outcome is to see these numbers and see how staggering the rates of mental health are among our community, and to take much bigger and more urgent steps to improving mental health and wellbeing.”

Mr Kassisieh called on authorities and researchers to “keep collecting the data” at a national level.

“[We need it] in the census, so we can see where these disparities are … and direct our attention [there],” he said, urging state and federal government to address laws which “discriminated” against LGBTQ+ people.

“And address them in a way that leads to a more positive conversation in our society.”

The ABS report noted while transgender and cisgender people overall had similar rates of mental illness, young trans people were more likely to experience a mental disorder than their cis counterparts.

Seven in 10 (70.6 per cent) trans people aged between 16–34 years of age had experienced mental illness, compared with 48.1 per cent of cisgender people of the same age.

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“Across a range of other measures trans people generally had higher rates than cis people, more noticeably those in younger age groups,” the report said, noting higher rates of psychological distress and suicidal ideation.

However, LGBTQ+ people were more likely to have seen a mental health professional or to have “self-management strategies”, according to the report.

“Almost two in three trans people (64.3 per cent) used at least one strategy for their mental health,” it said.

“[That is] including 35.7 per cent who increased their level of physical activity and 32.8 per cent who did more of the things they enjoy.”

Dr Amos said those numbers reflected a “very resilient” community.

“In our data we see a lot of really beautiful social connections that people build for themselves, ways that they find affirmation for themselves and engage with a community that supports them,” she said.

“Young people in particular are finding ways to explore their identity in really particular ways.

“We do see a lot of positivity and a lot of resilience, ways of finding that resilience and support in community, which is wonderful.

“It is unfortunate that our community needs it more than others, but we see in our data the role that an affirming environment and family and friends that are supportive can play for people who are LGBTQ+.”

The numbers would not be surprising for LGBTQ+ Australians, according to Mr Kassisieh.

“The pain that we experience ourselves [and] from the loss of people around us, lives with a lot of us a lot of the time,” he said.

“What I can say, is that it is that adversity that’s brought a lot of us together, and often made a future for us that is better than what we had for ourselves.”