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GAY PEOPLE 3 TIMES MORE LIKELY TO COMMIT SUICIDE
GCN.ie (12 February 2007)
MindOUT, a mental health group for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community in Britain have claimed that LGBT people are up to three times more likely to attempt suicide than heterosexuals. MindOUT said although no precise figures for sexuality-related suicides were available Brighton and Hove had the fourth-highest suicide rate in the country and there was bound to be many more victims than they saw among the city's 30,000-strong LGBT community. advertisement Manager Helen Jones said: "Suicidal feelings among the LGBT community can be worse in Brighton than other places because people come here thinking it will be better than elsewhere, then get here and it is not what they expect. "If you come with high expectations of lovely LGBT Brighton and then don't fit in or are confronted with as much homophobia than ever it seems like there is no hope at all." MindOUT has been working on a suicide prevention project which culminated with planting a weeping cherry tree in St Ann's Well Gardens, Hove, last month. Research included interviews with 12 people with mental health issues, some of whom had been hospitalised after suicide attempts and others who had repeatedly self-harmed. It looked at issues connected to their sexuality such as the pressure of coming out, rejection from family, friends and peers and the sense of worthlessness and isolation which resulted. A report found the double stigma of being isolated from the LGBT community because of mental health issues, and from the mental health service because of their LGBT identity, led many to suicidal distress. It also said mainstream services set up to deal with mental health issues often made things worse with "heterosexual" attitudes such as saying lesbianism is a result of sexual abuse. In the report an unnamed transgender woman describes a suicide attempt after being assaulted in the street. She is quoted as saying: "In the hospital after the suicide attempt one consultant asked me if I hadn't bought all this upon myself by choosing to go out wearing women's clothes." On Thursday MindOUT held a candle-lit vigil around the tree, which was draped in a rainbow flag, and several members read out poems they had written or had touched them in some way. There was then a three-minute silence in honour of those who had died. Ms Jones said: "Lots of people feel so isolated in their feelings and the tree seemed a way to provide a place for people to go and remember they are not alone as well as remember people who have died." "The vigil is a one-off event - we wanted to do something symbolic to draw attention to the project." Simone Back, 38 of Montague Street, Brighton said she had suffered from suicidal feelings and thought everything Mind Out was doing was invaluable. She said: "If it wasn't for Mind Out I would be dead. "Talking to people about things and having that support has made all the difference to me. "I can't thank them enough."
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