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Depression & Anxiety, Diversity
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The Trevor Project 2024 U.S. National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ+ Young People

While many young people are struggling amidst the ongoing youth mental health crisis, The Trevor Project, whose mission is to end suicide among LGBTQ youth, notes that LGBTQ+ youth are experiencing mental health struggles at higher rates than their heterosexual peers.

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), in 2023, more than one in five youth (20.3%) nationwide had a current diagnosed mental or behavioral health condition.

In The Trevor Project 2024 U.S. National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ+ Young People, “nearly two-thirds (65%) of participants reported having at least one mental health diagnosis. The most commonly reported were anxiety disorders (47%), major depressive disorder (33%), and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (30%).”

Critically, research shows a “significant association between anti-LGBTQ+ victimization and disproportionately high rates of suicide risk. According to the report, these disparities are not due to an inherent predisposition to higher suicide risk among LGBTQ+ youth because of their gender identity or sexual orientation, but because “they are placed at higher risk because of how they are mistreated and stigmatized in society.”

Additional key findings from the survey are excerpted directly below:

  • 39% of LGBTQ+ young people seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year––including 46% of transgender and nonbinary young people. LGBTQ+ youth of color reporter higher rates than White peers.
  • 90% of LGBTQ+ young people said their well-being was negatively impacted due to recent politics. Over half (53%) said their well-being was negatively impacted by politics a lot.
  • 66% of LGBTQ+ young people reported experiencing recent symptoms of anxiety.
  • 53% of LGBTQ+ young people reported experiencing recent symptoms of depression.

Amidst these bleak statistics, the report found that communities have a critical role to play in creating a safer, more welcoming environment where all young people belong––not only during Pride Month but throughout the year.

  • Nearly half of LGBTQ+ young people ages 13-17 experienced bullying in the past year, and those who did reported significantly higher rates attempting suicide in the past year than those who did not experience bullying.
  • LGBTQ+ young people who reported living in very accepting communities attempted suicide at less than half the rate of those who reported living in very unaccepting communities.

Notably, The Trevor Project 2025 U.S. National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ+ Young People is now open.

The Trevor Project is the “leading suicide prevention and crisis intervention nonprofit organization for LGBTQ+ young people.”

Read the full 2024 U.S. National Survey here.

 

Image: The Trevor Project