Nine in 10 LGBTI young people in the UK experience anxiety or depression

18 Jun 2019

Nine in ten young LGBTI people experience depression or anxiety.

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Almost nine in 10 LGBTI young people have depression or anxiety, new survey reveals.

The appalling findings from a survey commissioned by LGBTI charity Just Like Us reveal that levels of anxiety, depression, bullying and discrimination against LGBTI youth remain significantly high.

The struggles faced by LGBTI young people differ from those experienced by their heterosexual peers.

Just Like Us surveyed 1,000 young people, aged 16-18, in the UK to understand the well-being among LGBTI young people.

The survey aimed to investigate the challenges they face at school and college and what types of support feel they need in order to thrive.

Nine in ten young LGBTI people have depression

Almost nine in 10 LGBTI young people have experienced anxiety or depression. The percentage of LGBTI kids experiencing poor mental health (85%) is striking if compared to 56% of straight people facing the same issues.

Moreover, LGBTI young people are twice as likely to have experienced discrimination than their non-LGBTI peers.

Particularly, 73% of LGBTI young people have experienced bullying compared to 52% of straight people.

Finally, LGBTI young people are less likely to say they feel optimistic about the next stage of their life (51% vs 73% for straight peers).

There appears to be a difference between those living in urban and rural areas.

LGBTI life in urban vs. rural areas

Feedback from young people indicates that life may be harder for LGBTI young people in more rural communities. This is mirrored in the sign-ups for School Diversity Week. Just Like Us would like to ask more schools in rural areas to sign up.

School Diversity Week helps schools meet their obligations under the Equality Act 2010 and Ofsted’s Inspectorate Framework to tackle homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying.

LGBTI young people also appear to be significantly less likely to go to their family for support. Only 26%, in fact, turn to a family member for support. On the other hand, 44% of straight people turn to their family to ask for help.