Tackling LGBTQ+ youth mental health inequality: mapping mental health support across the UK

Pattinson, EM, McDermott, E, Eastham, R, Hughes, E, Johnson, K, Davis, S ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9296-8793, Pryjmachuk, S, Jenzen, O and Mateus, C, 2021. Tackling LGBTQ+ youth mental health inequality: mapping mental health support across the UK. The British Student Doctor, 5 (3), pp. 20-29. ISSN 2514-3174

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Abstract

Young people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer/questioning (LGBTQ+) experience higher rates of mental health distress than reported in the general population, yet are far less likely to seek support services. Factors such as homophobia, biphiobia and transphobia, cis-heteronormativity, fear of judgement and lack of staff awareness of LGBTQ+ identities are barriers to help seeking. This paper reports on the first stage of a study that investigated and mapped current LGBTQ+ youth specific mental health service provision across the UK. An online and offline service mapping exercise was undertaken to identify services. 111 services were identified across the search strategies, the majority in urban settings in England. There were three significant characteristics of LGBTQ+ child and adolescent mental health UK provision. Firstly, there was an absence of mainstream NHS support that specifically addressed the needs of LGBTQ+ young people. Secondly, the majority of LGBTQ+ youth mental health support was provided by voluntary/community organisations. Thirdly, there was a new emerging model of service that is based on collaborative working between NHS trusts and community/voluntary organisations. The results of this mapping exercise suggest that there is a reliance on the voluntary/community sector to provide mental health provision for LGBTQ+ young people. Furthermore, there was a distinct divergence in the approaches of the support provided by the voluntary/community sector and those from within the NHS. The affirmation of LGBTQ+ identities that is pivotal to the support provided by voluntary/community services contrasted with the ‘treating everyone the same’ approach prevalent in mainstream service provision. NHS mental health services must recognise that to tackle LGBTQ+ youth mental health inequality, statutory mental health support must address specifically the mental health needs of LGBTQ+ young people.

Item Type:	Journal article
Publication Title:	The British Student Doctor
Creators:	Pattinson, E.M., McDermott, E., Eastham, R., Hughes, E., Johnson, K., Davis, S., Pryjmachuk, S., Jenzen, O. and Mateus, C.
Publisher:	Cardiff University Press
Date:	1 June 2021
Volume:	5
Number:	3
ISSN:	2514-3174
Identifiers:	Number Type 10.18573/bsdj.289 DOI 1498703 Other
Rights:	This journal is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. The copyright of all articles belongs to The Foundation for Medical Publishing, and a citation should be made when any article is quoted, used or referred to in another work.
Divisions:	Schools > School of Social Sciences
Record created by:	Jonathan Gallacher
Date Added:	25 Nov 2021 09:08
Last Modified:	25 Nov 2021 09:08
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/44939

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