Did you know that suicide is the second leading cause of death among young people ages 10 to 24? Members of the LGBT community make up a large portion of that statistic; nearly half of young transgender people have seriously considered taking their own lives, and one quarter report having made a suicide attempt, while lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth are 4 times more likely, and questioning youth are 3 times more likely, to attempt suicide than their straight peers ("Facts About Suicide", 2015). Raising awareness of the correlation between sexual orientation, self-harm, and suicide may help reverse the appalling trend of suicide in young people.

Self-harm and suicide can be a form of self-medication stemming from factors such as: physical, sexual, and emotional abuse at school and home, lack of parental and peer acceptance and/or involvement, harassment, discrimination, bullying and shaming. Though LGBT youth aren’t the only teens experiencing these stressors, they do appear to be targeted because of their position as a minority. When people don’t understand or don’t realize the effects that their actions on/or words have on alienated teens, the outcome can be catastrophic.
Parental and family relationships have a major role in determining the future of LGBTQ youth. Clinical social worker Caitlin Ryan's Family Acceptance Project conducted the first study of the effect of parental and family acceptance and rejection on the physical health, mental health and well-being of LGBT youth, including suicide, HIV/AIDS and homelessness. The research shows that members of the LGBTQ community who experience high levels of rejection from their families during adolescence (when compared with those young people who experienced little or no rejection from parents and caregivers) were over eight times more likely to have attempted suicide, over six times more likely to report high levels of depression, over three times more likely to use illegal drugs and over three times more likely to be at high risk for HIV or other STD’s by the time they reach their early 20’s ("Suicide among LGBT youth", 2015).

My friend recently came out as gay to immediate family, I am Asexual myself, and I have several LGBTQ friends and acquaintances, so I know personally how the attitude of parents and family members can affect the well-being of teens. Teenagers are still looking to their parents for guidance, so if they rejected within their families, they feel as if there is something wrong with themselves, and feel like no one could love them for who they are. Coming out of the closet is such a huge deal for LGBT youth because they don’t know exactly how others will react, and are afraid that they will be hurt. I know someone who was kicked out of their house for being gay, and another that seriously contemplated suicide, but I also know others that have become closer to their parents and have better friendships and relationships because of it. The difference came down to the reaction of their parents and family members.

Self-injury and suicide cannot always be prevented by the parents of course, but as the closest people to their teens, parents have the responsibility to try their hardest that their children are not in a situation where they would feel that self-harm or suicide are their only option. Self-injury typically begins in adolescence, a time when sexuality and sexual orientation are being explored.  LGBT youth, particularly those who have not yet come out and/or formed close relationships with others they relate to, seem particularly susceptible to many of the factors that may contribute to self-injurious behaviors.  These teens often lack a solid support system and/or resources, struggle to fit in, hide their sexual orientation, and are at a point in life when they have limited functional coping skills.  Research has demonstrated that LGBTQ youth have higher rates of suicide and other types of self-damaging behaviors such as alcohol and drug use. So, it makes sense that this particular group is likely confronted with numerous overwhelming emotions and limited resources for coping, placing them at higher risk to self-injure than those without the pressures associated with being LGBTQ.

If you mention ‘self-harm’, many people will shake their heads or shrug it off, believing it to be the domain of attention-seeking teen girls or misunderstood Goth kids. It is seen by many not as a problem that needs care and attention but as a form of self-indulgent manipulation or self-pity, that the person in question will at some point grow out of. The reality is that any one, of any age or any gender, may find themselves using self-harm as a coping method, for any number of reasons. Many times it is because they feel isolated and unhappy in one way of another. People express varying degrees of distress from anger through to self-hate and can self-harm to cope, but also punish themselves. Many people express confusions over identity and might self-harm because they have family difficulties or money difficulties or it might be a more personal thing about themselves.

Certainly, being LGBT does not mean that one is going to self-injure, nor does being a self-injurer means that someone is automatically LGBT.  However, it does appear that there may be good reason for the evidence that there is a higher proportion of self-injurers within the LGBTQ community.  Shame, secrecy, isolation, feeling different, poor body image, low self-esteem, abuse history, poor support system, and limited coping outlets are all possible issues associated with being a member of the LGBT community.  These same factors have also been shown to be linked with self-injury (Alderman, 2009). Everyone needs to understand that education, compassion and acceptance of LGBTQ youth are the keys to reversing the trend of self-harm and suicide in young people.

Citations
Alderman, T. (2009, November 16). The Relationship Between Self-Injury and Sexual Orientation. Retrieved February 26, 2015, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-scarred-soul/200911/the-relationship-between-self-injury-and-sexual-orientation

Suicide among LGBT youth. (2015, February 8). Retrieved February 26, 2015, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_among_LGBT_youth

Facts About Suicide. (2015, January 1). Retrieved March 4, 2015, from http://www.thetrevorproject.org/pages/facts-about-suicide