Depression and LGBTQ+ Adults: Empower Counseling is Here to Help.
Prevalence
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, “LGB adults are more than twice as likely as heterosexual adults to experience a mental health condition. Transgender individuals are nearly four times as likely as cisgender individuals (people whose gender identity corresponds with their birth sex) individuals to experience a mental health condition.” This can be attributed to the increased stress of dealing with discrimination and harrassment because of thier identities, something that they have likely been dealing with since childhood. This can often lead to any mental health issues they already had getting worse as time goes on. As I pointed out in the post on LGBTQ+ youth, one’s sexuality or gender identity is not the cause of this increased rate of mental illness, it is how their environment and the people around them treat them. We know this because it has been shown repeatedly that LGBTQ+ persons who are accepted by family and live in areas that are supportive of them have much reduced rates of mental health conditions.
How It Presents
Depression is a mood disorder that causes someone to have an ever present feeling of sadness and in many cases hopelessness about their life. It also drains you of interest in things you may have enjoyed doing and motivation to do even basic tasks like cleaning or getting up out of bed. For many people this manifests as negative self-talk, feelings of worthlessness, and constant self-blame. Amongst LGBTQ+ adults this also results in much higher levels of substance abuse as a way to try and cope with what they are dealing with. LGBTQ+ adults also report higher rates of dissociation, feeling separated from your thoughts and feelings, as this is a way to not experience what you are going through. Another way LGBTQ+ adults are effected by depression is a much higher rate of suicide attempts and ideations, though this is also driven by their higher rates of PTSD. This shows why getting treatment if you feel you are experiencing depression is especially important for the LGBTQ+ community as it often leads to even more severe issues developing if left untreated.
Empower Counseling is here to help
At Empower Counseling we work with clients with depression to help them learn to cope with their struggles in a healthy way and have a better understanding of what is causing their mental health struggles. Knowing where our problems are coming from and how to handle them can have a great impact on one’s quality of life if you are struggling with depression. Learning how to change the way you look at your thoughts is an important part of taking back control of your life and start seeing the progress you know you need to make. With our LGBTQ+ clients we also make sure to work on self-affirmation and making changes to their surroundings to develop a better support network. Having someone to talk to about what you are going through and processing how it affects you can have a large impact on your mental health, so if you feel like you or someone you know is struggling with depression or other mental health concerns it might be the time to reach out for help.
Begin Depression Counseling for LGBTQ+ adults in Alabama.
Empower Counseling can help you find your way. Our Birmingham area counseling clinic has knowledgeable and caring therapists who specialize in helping LBTGQ+ adults and what they want. To start your counseling journey toward a more self-confident, clear future, follow these simple steps:
- Contact Empower Counseling today.
- Meet with one of our caring therapists, Adam, Kathryn, or Kristine.
- Start becoming clear about your future.
Other mental health services offered at Empower Counseling
Counseling for LGBTQ+ adults isn’t the only service we offer in our Birmingham counseling clinic. Other mental health services Empower Counseling & Coaching provides include depression counseling, anxiety treatment, counseling for professionals, teen therapy, counseling for college student, young adult counseling, and difficult life transitions.
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