A study from Monash University, published in the Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, analyzed data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics' 2020–2022 National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing. The research found that over half of cisgender nonheterosexual Australians and more than one-third of transgender Australians have been diagnosed with a mental disorder.
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The findings indicate that these individuals have up to 3.5 times the risk of experiencing high or very high psychological distress compared to the general population. The study compared three groups: cisgender heterosexual individuals, cisgender nonheterosexual individuals, and transgender individuals of any sexual orientation.
Senior researcher Dr. Long Le emphasized the persistent mental health inequities affecting queer communities. He stated that the staggering statistics reveal significant barriers to access and treatment for LGBTQ+ Australians, noting ongoing experiences of stigma, discrimination, and social exclusion that adversely impact mental health and daily living.
The research assessed both formally diagnosed mental disorders and subthreshold mental disorders, where individuals display significant symptoms without meeting full diagnostic criteria. Anxiety disorders were the most frequently reported condition across all groups. Specifically, 41.3% of cisgender nonheterosexual Australians and 27.2% of transgender Australians reported high or very high psychological distress, while only 15.5% of cisgender heterosexual Australians did.
Additionally, LGBTQ+ participants faced greater challenges in daily functioning, with functional disability scores reported as 11.1% higher for cisgender nonheterosexuals and 8.7% higher for transgender individuals than for their cisgender heterosexual counterparts.
Lead researcher Dr. Bernice Hua Ma pointed out that the disparities in mental health cannot be attributed to individual factors alone. Addressing these inequities requires not just expanding mental health services but also tackling broader social and structural barriers that negatively affect LGBTQ+ communities.
Rebecca Smith, co-author and representative from LGBTIQ+ Health Australia, stated that the study offers crucial national evidence to inform health service design and policy. She emphasized the necessity of community-led organizations and lived experience leadership in crafting effective mental health responses, which can leverage trust and community connections for improved outcomes. Smith also contextualized the mental health disparities as products of systemic issues such as discrimination and stigma, rather than intrinsic to being LGBTQ+.