LGBT children more likely to suffer from depression, according to a new study
The study reveals that children as young as ten are more likely to self-harm
By Steve Brown
Words: Steve Brown
LGBT children are more likely to suffer from depression than others, according to a new study.
Researchers at the University College London found that children as young as ten are four times more likely to attempt suicide compared to heterosexuals as they move through adolescence and into their early 20s.
Senior author Dr Gemma Lewis said: “It is very concerning that, despite changes in public perceptions and attitudes, sexual-minority youth remain at increased risk of long-term mental health problems.”
In the study of 4,800 youth people, it found that LGBT children start becoming a heightened risk of self-harm from the age of 16.
By the time they are 18, they are twice as likely to be clinically depressed.
Madeleine Irish, of King’s College London, added that this could be because “of feeling different might affect mental health before children can articulate that difference.”