Addressing Homosexuals' Mental Health Problems

Abstract

IF YOU'RE LOOKING at somebody's it's not going to be a lot different if it's a lesbian gallbladder, notes a lesbian psychologist. However, when it comes to mental health, lesbians and gays appear to have some unique problems arising from the emotional toll of secrecy, disapproval, and, often, internalized shame, says the same psychologist. In light of these problems, research and rehabilitation efforts are being targeted to this population. The stresses of being gay in a predominantly straight society may at least in part account for the alcoholism and other substance abuse estimated to occur in 35% to 40% of homosexual persons, according to informal discussions among the nearly 80 participants at a Minneapolis meeting of the Women's Issues Committee of the American Association of Physicians for Human Rights. Formal data from the National Lesbian Health Care Survey give a clearer picture of the extent of mental health problems