Mental health issues and discrimination among older LGBTI people

Abstract

LGBT is an acronym used to describe people from diverse sexual orientation or gender identity, people that are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender. LGBT people do not constitute a single group nor does each individual “group” constitute a homogeneous unity. However, as higher rates of depression and/or anxiety have been observed in older LGBT people, compared to their heterosexual counterparts (Guasp, 2011) there is a need to raise the profile of mental health issues amongst these groups. The additional letter I is also often included in the acronym LGBTI as intersex people are often included as another gender diverse group. However, there is very little research that includes intersex people and none on older intersex people's mental health so this editorial is restricted to consideration of older LGBT people.

Meeting the Behavioral Health Needs of LGBT Older Adults

“…During that time, same‐gender romantic relationships were deeply stigmatized and even criminalized . The medical community considered sexual minority identities to be psychiatric disorders until 1973; transgender and other gender‐diverse identities were labeled disorders until 2013 …”

“…Biases related to aging within the LGBT community can intensify stigma and increase isolation. For example, some older men experience social invisibility in gay communities that place high value on youthful physical attractiveness . In addition, some believe the recent LGBT movement toward assimilation within mainstream society has led to a silencing of the “loud and proud” movement of earlier decades .…”

A sintomatologia depressiva entre lésbicas, gays, bissexuais e transexuais: um olhar para a saúde mental

“…Ademais, os valores são justificáveis se analisados conjuntamente com o fato de que 12(85,7%) desses entrevistados são portadores de HIV, o que vai ao encontro ao exposto pela Teoria da Autotranscedência de Reed. Nesta Teoria, Reed afirma que a autotranscedência é uma capacidade de desenvolvimento que se torna evidente em situações que confrontem a pessoa com sua mortalidade pessoal, através de experiências de saúde como envelhecimento, doença e perda, facilitando o bem-estar em momentos em que uma pessoa experimenta vulnerabilidade ou está tentando superar uma dificuldade 19 .…”

Rendering visible the previously invisible in health care: the ageing LGBTI communities

“…For many LGBTI elders, particularly the very old cohort, making themselves invisible by hiding sexual orientation, gender identity or intersex status was a necessary protection against discrimination and violence, and a way of avoiding imprisonment and loss of employment, social networks, family and friends. The need to stay safe extended to the medical profession, which previously defined homosexuality as “sexual deviation” or sociopathic personality and, as recently as the 1980s, offered or enforced medical or psychological “cures” for homosexuality 3 . ‐ 5…”