Discrimination "impacting gay health", says study Ben Townley, Gay.com UK http://uk.gay.com/headlines/7201 Wednesday 1 December, 2004 12:42 A new study has drawn direct links between anti-gay discrimination and mental health, with results suggesting nearly a third of LGB people in the UK have attempted suicide. Conducted by the Imperial College for the British Journal of Psychiatry, the study of 1,285 LGB people across the country found that those who had suffered bullying at schools - or an even more recent attack - could be more at risk of suffering mental health problems. Nearly 85% of respondents had experienced some sort of violence in the past five years, whether verbal insults, damage to property or a personal attack. Many drew links between the attacks and their sexuality. Correspondingly according to the researchers, a large majority had suffered some sort of mental health problems varying from sleep disturbance to anxiety and depression; 42% of gay men 43% of lesbians and 49% of bisexual men and women had suffered from such problems. Many had also self harmed: 42% of gay men, 43% of lesbians and 49% of bisexual men had planned or committed acts of self-harm according to the report. Dr James Warner from Imperial College London, said the study shows the need to reasses how LGB people are treated in modern society. "The results of this research show that there is a likely link between levels of discrimination and an increased risk of mental health problems," he said today. "It seems that high levels of discrimination including physical attack or verbal insults and previous school bullying can lead to an increased risk of mental health problems." He said that homophobic bullying needed to be adressed, a message that was echoed by gay rights group Stonewall today. "The main challenge is the homophobic culture in schools, which is rampant, and something we are tackling," a spokesman said today. The group will be unveiling a new strategy to combat school bullying in the New Year, while the government has also announced a similar campaign to encourage pupils who suffer homophobic bullying to come forward and report it. Additionally, schools are being called on to create more concrete guidelines for teachers looking to combat anti-gay attacks in schools. * close this window * go back to the website