LGBTQ teens often struggle to find mental health care tailored to them

The LGBTQ community is “certainly in a state of crisis, particularly among youth,” Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., the first openly gay Afro Latino in Congress, told NBC News in an email. “Asking for help is a sign of strength, but we need to make sure that we have the proper resources in place for those who need help.”

The study’s lead author, Kristen Choi, an adolescent psychiatric nurse and health services researcher at the University of California, Los Angeles, said the number of mental health facilities in the U.S. that are trained to serve LGBTQ youth has barely budged over a six-year period, increasing from 25% of all facilities in 2014 to just 28% in 2020. 

Mental health resources, she said, are crucial for LGBTQ youth. They face much higher rates of poor mental health when compared with their heterosexual peers, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

“It was disappointing to see,” Choi said of the findings, which analyzed data from the Department of Health and Human Services’ National Mental Health Services Survey. Many providers and organizations, she said, are not necessarily trained or equipped to interact with LGBTQ kids in a way that is sensitive, affirmative and appropriate. 

‘Luck of the draw’

Alex Tilinca, 22, of Long Island, New York, knows the struggle of finding adequate mental health services all too well.

Tilinca, a transgender man, began his transition when he was 11. His family initially found him a therapist, but the therapist did not specialize in LGBTQ care.

He says he eventually got the help he needed because the therapist had a friend who was transgender who knew of an institute that helped transgender teens. Tilinca was later able to start testosterone treatment and had top surgery when he was 16. Now an adult, he works as a coach and competitive bodybuilder, helping others gain confidence in their bodies.

“Honestly, I got lucky that they personally knew someone that was trans and because of that they knew a therapist,” he said. “It really was the luck of the draw, which was not good.”

Torres, who has been vocal about his experience with depression and his struggle to find adequate mental health care, said, “Me coming out as gay has inspired me to be more open about my mental health challenges.” 

In June, Torres, along with Reps. Eric Sorensen, D-Ill., and Sharice Davids, D-Kan., jointly introduced the Pride in Mental Health Act, which aims to improve access to mental health resources and provide training for caregivers that is tailored to the needs of LGBTQ youth. It also included guidelines to prevent bullying in schools. 

Torres said the bill “is a crucial step in the right direction in addressing LGBTQI+ mental health.” 

Improving access

Jonah DeChants, a research scientist at The Trevor Project, an advocacy group for LGBTQ youth, said being an LGBTQ person can be “very, very stressful,” especially in the current political climate in the U.S.

In June, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of an evangelical Christian web designer from Colorado who refuses to work on same-sex weddings, dealing a setback to LGBTQ rights. Attempted school bans on books that contain LGBTQ themes are also on the rise, according to The American Library Association.

DeChants said the organization consistently hears from young people who are seeking mental health care resources.

A recent national survey from The Trevor Project found that 60% of LGBTQ youth who sought mental health care in 2021 were not able to get it — including nearly 3 in 5 transgender and nonbinary people.

Improving access to LGBTQ care can be a challenge, DeChants said, because it takes a specific form of training. “And we certainly want folks moving into that space to certainly be qualified,” he said. 

Rivas, who graduated high school this spring, said she plans to attend college and is thinking about majoring in clinical psychology. 

She recommended that other LGBTQ individuals facing mental health struggles find a community where they can.

“Finding people, it can be very hard,” Rivas said, adding that she eventually found solace in a slam poetry group as well as the It Gets Better Project.

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Berkeley Lovelace Jr.

Berkeley Lovelace Jr. is a health and medical reporter for NBC News. He covers the Food and Drug Administration, with a special focus on Covid vaccines, prescription drug pricing and health care. He previously covered the biotech and pharmaceutical industry with CNBC.

Marina Kopf contributed.