That’s A Really Good Question #3 – LGBTQ and Mental Health

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Good Question, health, LGBT Youth, LGBTQ, mental health, question, Really Good Question

Serendipitydodah for Moms – Home of the Mama Bears is a private Facebook group for moms of lgbtq kids. This series will address common questions that often get asked by members of the group. For more information about the group email lizdyer55@gmail.com

 

 

I’m often asked why it seems that LGBTQ people have more mental health issues than heterosexual and cisgender people.

Some have even asked “what comes first? the chicken or the egg”

That’s a really good question because being LGBTQ is not a mental health disorder and it is very important to emphasize that being LGBTQ is not the cause of any mental health illness.

Homosexuality was removed from the list of mental disorders in 1974 and being transgender was removed from the list in 2018.

There is one small group that takes a different view but it is designated as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center and is fueled by conservative anti LGBTQ views. The group is called the “American College of Pediatricians” (ACPeds). It is a fringe anti-LGBTQ hate group that masquerades as the premier U.S. association of pediatricians to push anti-LGBTQ junk science, primarily via far-right conservative media and filing amicus briefs in cases related to gay adoption and marriage equality.​ Though it sounds official, the ACPeds is not the leading organization for U.S. pediatricians; that designation goes to the 66,000-member American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). It appears they chose their name to try and confuse the public.

However, even though mental health issues are not caused by being LGBTQ, there absolutely are issues to consider around being LGBTQ and mental health.

While being LGBTQ is not a mental illness in any way, studies do show that LGBTQ individuals show greater levels of anxiety, depression, substance use disorders and suicidal feelings. However, the reason is not because they are LGBTQ but due to the discrimination and stigma that they face.

In other words, the increase in mental health issues for LGBTQ people are not caused because of their LGBTQ identify, but rather by how the world reacts to their identity.

LGBTQ youth are especially at risk, as young people are especially sensitive and vulnerable when it comes to “fitting in” and “belonging” and don’t have the psychological resources or personal independence to handle things themselves that they will have when they are older.

Even when LGBTQ youth have supportive families they are still impacted by the stigma and discrimination they hear about and face in their community, their schools and in society in general.

Some things that can help LGBTQ youth include:

* having supportive parents

* when parents are not supportive having at least one supportive adult to talk to and confide in

* having supportive educators at their school

* Gay Straight Alliance organizations at their school

* comprehensive bullying and harassment policies and laws in place in their community

Some things that can help LGBTQ adults include:

* having more affordable health care

* easier access to health care

* health care professionals that are LGBTQ friendly and knowledgeable

* companies that have LGBTQ inclusive policies

* sensitivity training for employees and management

* having at least one supportive person in their lives to talk to and confide in

Please share your own thoughts and/or resources regarding this subject.

 

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Serendipitydodah for Moms – Home of the Mama Bears is a private Facebook group for moms of lgbtq kids. Our official motto is “We Are Better Together” and our nickname is “Mama Bears”

The group is private so only members can see who is in the group and what is posted in the group. It was started in June 2014 and as of January 2019 has more than 5,500 members. For more info about the private facebook group email lizdyer55@gmail.com

Learning & Growing Together #3 – Self Care

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#LGBTQFamilies, Healing, health, LGBT, lifestyle, Mama Bears, Moms of LGBT, Moms of LGBTQ Kids, Serendipitydodah for Moms

This “Learning & Growing Together” series includes posts I have shared in my private Facebook group for moms of LGBTQ kids. The group, Serendipitydodah for Moms, is a place where moms of LGBTQ kids share a lot of support, information and encouragement … it is a place where moms of LGBTQ kids are learning and growing together with the purpose of developing and maintaining healthy, loving, authentic relationships with their LGBTQ kids. One thing I love about the private Facebook group is we are all both teachers and students – we all learn from each other. I love that kind of community learning. The wisdom and insight is so rich. For more information about the group email me at lizdyer55@gmail.com

This is a very stressful time for many of us. I’m hearing from many who are saying they are sad, anxious, worried and stressed. It’s always important that we take care of ourselves but especially at times like this. Stress, anxiety and depression can lead to some serious health issues if we are not intentional about taking care of ourselves.

Here are some “Self Care” ideas that I have found helpful. I hope you will share your own “Self Care” ideas in the comments:

*Drink water! Your body needs it. The link between water and stress reduction is well documented. All of our organs, including our heart and our brain, require water to function properly. Without enough water, we fall prey to dehydration which can cause stress.

*If you are an animal lover spend some time with animals. If you have a pet take time to cuddle and play with your pet – or visit your local animal shelter or sanctuary – the animals there will thank you and you will feel better afterwards.

*Take a walk! First, make sure that you can go for a walk and be safe. Maybe you need to walk before it gets dark or maybe you should walk with someone else. I think outside is best but if that isn’t possible maybe you can go to an indoor mall or gym and walk there. My gym has an indoor track that I often walk on. The point is to walk if you can. Like any other cardiovascular exercise, brisk walking boosts endorphins, which can reduce stress hormones and alleviate mild depression.

*Get some fresh air. If you can’t get outside to go for a walk try opening up some windows in your home or sitting on a patio or porch for an extended time. I find that fresh air is very calming.

*Listen to music. I have to be sure and not let myself listen to a lot of sad music at times like this but other than that music is a real stress buster for me. And when I combine it with walking, dancing or some other form of physical activity it helps even more.

*For those who like to read take time to indulge in a good story. It’s easy to spend all of our reading time on news articles and non fiction. Reading for fun and enjoyment is good for us. It’s one of the best ways to relax and even six minutes can be enough to reduce our stress levels by more than two thirds, according to new research. Research says it works better and faster than other methods to calm frazzled nerves such as listening to music, going for a walk or settling down with a cup of tea.

*Laugh. Whether you’re guffawing at a sitcom on TV or quietly giggling at a newspaper cartoon, laughing does you good. Laughter is a great form of stress relief, and that’s no joke. When I need a good laugh I often pull out my Ellen DeGeneres video “Here and Now” – it’s one of the best! I always feel better after an hour with Ellen doing stand-up!

What about you? How do you deal with stress?

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Serendipitydodah for Moms is a private Facebook group created as an extension of the Serendipitydodah blog. The group is private so only members can see who is in the group and what is posted in the group. The group was started in June 2014 and presently has more than 1,400 members. The space was specifically created for open minded Christian moms who have LGBTQ kids and want to develop and maintain healthy, loving, authentic relationships with their LGBTQ kids. In addition to providing a space for members to share info and support one another, a special guest is added each month for a few days. The guests include authors, pastors, LGBTQ people, bloggers and public speakers.

For more info email lizdyer55@gmail.com

 

Family Acceptance Project – Always My Son

Tags

Always My Son, children, Family Acceptance Project, health, LGBT, parents, Youth

Always My Son is one of a series of short documentary films that are being produced by the Family Acceptance Project to help ethnically and religiously diverse families decrease their LGBT children’s risk for suicide, substance abuse, depression, HIV, homelessness and placement in foster care or juvenile justice settings — by increasing family support.

The Family Acceptance Project™ is the only community research, intervention, education and policy initiative that works to decrease major health and related risks for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth, such as suicide, substance abuse, HIV and homelessness – in the context of their families. They use a research-based, culturally grounded approach to help ethnically, socially and religiously diverse families decrease rejection and increase support for their LGBT children.

The project team is putting research into practice by developing the first evidence-based family model of wellness, prevention and care to strengthen families and promote positive development and healthy futures for LGBT children and youth. Once developed, they will disseminate their model across the U.S. and to groups they work with in other countries.

The project is designed to: 1) study parents’, families’ and caregivers’ reactions and adjustment to an adolescent’s coming out and LGBT identity; 2) develop training and assessment materials for health, mental health, and school-based providers, child welfare, juvenile justice, family service workers and community service providers on working with LGBT youth and families; 3) develop resources to strengthen families to support LGBT children and adolescents; and 4) develop a new model of family-related care to improve health and mental health outcomes for LGBT adolescents. Findings will be used to inform policy and practice and to change the way that systems of care address the needs of LGBT adolescents.

Their new research shows that family accepting and rejecting behaviors have a compelling impact on their LGBT children’s health and mental health.