Les besoins en santé mentale des personnes migrantes LGBTI : entre orientation généraliste et soutien communautaire

Abstract

In France, there are no studies on the mental health of lesbian, gay, bi, trans and intersex (LGBTI) migrants. In North America however, some data show high prevalence for mental issues in this population. This study analyze mental health needs of LGBTI migrants and document the care and support for those needs in two French cities, with a socio-anthropological approach. LGBTI migrants suffer from numerous mental issues linked with their migration and their sexual orientation, gender identity and expression (SOGIE). Those sources of violence are imbricated and fuel each other. It is mainly as migrants that LGBTI are taken care of by State services devoted to precarious people, even though some LGBTI associations propose a different kind of community support. LGBTI migrants deal with the same deficits in mental health services than other migrants, but have also specific difficulties. The development of support group for this minority helps with those difficulties and ultimately questions the strengths and limits of community-based approach to mental health.