LGBTQ teens often struggle to find mental health care tailored to them
Mental health care for LGBTQ teens is limited in the U.S. and can be difficult to access, according to a study. Some lawmakers are trying to change that.
Fabiola Rivas realized she was a lesbian in middle school in 2019.
Rivas, now 18, said she was feeling isolated and lonely, and sought out therapy. The resources available in her hometown of Melbourne, Florida, however, were limited when it came to addressing the questions and concerns that many LGBTQ people face when coming out. Rivas knew of only one mental health facility that provided LGBTQ-specific services, but it was too expensive for her family.
It wasn’t until the Covid pandemic, when Rivas described her mental health as “going downhill” as students were forced to stay home, that her family found an affordable telehealth provider — a psychiatrist in Venezuela, where Rivas’ family is from — and she was able to get the support she needed.
“It was truly, truly isolating,” recalled Rivas, who is now an advocate for the It Gets Better Project, an advocacy group for LGBTQ youth. “I really felt like I was faking it for everyone else and that my friends were not truly my friends.”
Rivas’ experience in seeking mental health treatment is not unique: A study published in JAMA Pediatrics in June found that fewer than 1 in 3 mental health facilities in the United States offered services specifically designed for LGBTQ patients— such as coming out support, counseling on sexual orientation and gender-affirming therapy — for children and adolescents in 2020. On a per capita basis, all 50 states had fewer than 10 facilities with LGBTQ services per 100,000 children.
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