Mental Health & Wellness: Mental Health & LGBTQIA+ Communities

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are laudable objectives, but how do we move beyond a proclamation of value to the gritty work of critique, openness, and action? One practice in institutional improvement is to focus on what can be counted, but cultural changes are more difficult to see. Finding ways to observe and measure what is inherently difficult to quantify includes quantitative, and qualitative data, proxies, and narratives. As beacons of social change, universities have historically been on the leading edge of ensuring diversity, equity, and inclusion. In the paper, we use a reflective case study design to challenge myths that protect the status quo and describe data and proxies for baseline diversity, equity, and inclusion. Our case study focuses on how one university uses institutional research and introspection to craft policies and practices along its journey toward a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive campus climate.

Salem Press Encyclopedia of Health, 2022, Research Starters

Magill’s Medical Guide (Online Edition), 2022, Research Starters

A 2023 article from Journal of Mental Health Counseling

2023 article from Journal of Mental Health Counseling

Lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) young people’s increased risk of self-harm, suicidal attempts and suicide compared with heterosexual youth is well established. The current study sought to examine whether these findings also apply to the trans (T) population and which factors act as additional risk or protective factors.

An article in Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, 2017.

A 2020 article from Public Health Reports

A 40-minute video from Psych Hub

A short video from PBS Utah

A short video from PBS Utah

A short video from NAMI

A short video from 9News

"Coming out to the right people at the right time is a personal and emotional decision. Cynthia [Hawk] shares the health issues involved with this step and invites her audience to support their LGBTQ friends and family members." 11-minute TED Talk.

From the National Council for Mental Well-Being. 47-minute video.

A 2021 Talk by Mala Matacin at TEDxHartford

"Led by co-hosts Brendan Geoghegan and Matthew Riley, Bottoming is a podcast created for individuals within the LGBTQ+ community experiencing difficulties and mental health concerns. Each episode navigates difficult conversations."

A 7-minute listen - from NPR's Morning Edition with Hidden Brain's Shankar Vedantam

"The world from a queer perspective: conversations, stories, and a good old laugh with LGBTQ+ icons, allies, and of course, our lovely listeners."

"Making Gay History is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that brings the largely hidden history of the LGBTQ civil rights movement to life through the voices of the people who lived it."

" With input from comedians, artists, friends and (some) doctors, Paul Gilmartin is on a mission to normalize what has for too long been stigmatized. He and his guests talk openly and honestly about the things that don’t get talked about in public, the struggles and pains and trauma of their own lives in order to bring to light the truth that the world is much more than black and white stories."

A 52-minute episode from Hidden Brain (see "more" for episode description)

An episode of the podcast "Inside Mental Health" from Psych Central

A 37 minute episode of the Psychiatry Unbound podcast, featuring a "conversation between Drs Laura Roberts and Eric Yarbrough. Dr. Roberts then discusses with Dr. Lawrence McGlynn his experience working within the LGBTQ community."