Alarming Numbers

It’s sobering to hear the results of the inaugural LGBTQ+ Health Needs Assessment Survey conducted by Stony Brook Medicine: More than 60 percent of respondents who identify as LGBTQ+ show signs of chronic depression, nearly half have anxiety or mental health issues, and a third have had thoughts of self-harm.

The worst part: This is not a biological byproduct of being part of the LGBTQ+ community. The Trevor Project, a nonprofit that focuses on preventing suicide among members of that community, notes that there’s no medical evidence linking mental health concerns directly to sexual orientation or gender identity.

What the study shows is that society, while it is improving, still projects a stigma on people based on sex and gender identifications that don’t comply with outdated cultural norms. It’s the friends, colleagues and neighbors of these men, women and nonbinary people who are harming them.

The study suggests a need for intervention — only about a third of the respondents say they are receiving treatment for mental health issues — but as with most medical conditions, this is one that can be addressed with prevention. Here, though, healthy change must be systemic. This a sickness, like so many others, that infects from the outside. It’s a sickness that’s all around us.

The findings, announced on October 7, are truly groundbreaking: It’s the first survey of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer or questioning teens and adults in Nassau and Suffolk counties. It began in Southampton, with services provided by Stony Brook Medicine at the Edie Windsor Healthcare Center in Hampton Bays.

The results show a diverse set of needs, some of which can be addressed by doctors. Gaps in the East End’s health care system are contributing to the crisis, and it’s also there where stigmatism can be a factor: Over 30 percent of respondents have had a negative experience in health care, were treated disrespectfully or in a non-gender-affirming way. The situation is even worse for members of the community who also are people of color.

Credit to Stony Brook Medicine, which plans to expand sensitivity training for its providers and more support for adolescents and young adults. But the need for action goes far beyond the walls of hospitals, doctors’ offices and clinics. The study’s numbers should be alarming to a community that prides itself on inclusivity, and sensitivity, and a reminder of just how much further we have to go on that front.