Last year, 41% of LGBTQ teens and young adults ages 13-24 considered taking their lives, according to the “2023 U.S. National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ Young People” by The Trevor Project, a nonprofit focused on suicide prevention.
And 56% of the 28,000 survey participants who wanted mental health care said they were unable to get it.
“It’s a shocking statistic,” said Steven Haden, founder of You:Flourish, a social impact business based in Denver.
The numbers are one reason Haden started the company, which last week launched a statewide mental health wellness app, youflourish.app, that provides contacts vetted by the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association for counselors, therapists, psychologists, psychiatrists and medical doctors who work with children and adults who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, nonbinary and questioning their sexual orientation or gender identity.
The resource directory is geared for ages 18 to 26 and has other mental wellness tools and an online support network.
“Surveys indicate a much larger percentage of LGBTQ people report needing mental health services compared to non-LGBTQ people, but despite the higher need, many LGBTQ people don’t receive the help they seek,” Haden said.
One reason, he believes, is a lack of training for students in graduate schools and doctoral programs on how to best assist the LGBTQ community with mental health issues.
While LGBTQ people aren’t predisposed to have more problems than other people, a significant number have experienced childhood trauma, discrimination and harassment, Haden said.
“There are certain stressors that undermine a person’s well-being. So it’s essential to understand basic trauma care, whether it’s families not being affirming, bullying in school, and people being fired or denied access to care altogether,” he said. “Invalidating who you are creates fear, a sense of ‘I don’t belong,’ and the end result is higher rates of suicide and suicide attempts.”
“Competent and affirming mental health care” for LGBTQ youth can be difficult to find, agrees Liss Smith, spokesperson for Inside Out Youth Services in Colorado Springs.
The nonprofit added free counseling two years ago out of its office now at 516 W. Colorado Ave., as a pilot program. It’s now a permanent offering for individuals and families, as well as group therapy and crisis services. The organization provided 541 individual therapy sessions in 2022 and 673 last year.
Challenges related to identity, discrimination and stigma can lead to depression, suicide attempts and other concerns, Smith said.
“Trained and experienced mental health providers are vital to the wellbeing of LGBTQIA2+ youth,” Smith said.
Other low- or no-cost online options for youths include Q Chat Space, which has live, professionally facilitated discussion groups; imi, a series of guides for teens to explore their identities; and the IMatter Program, a state-run Office of Behavioral Health initiative that provides up to three free therapy sessions for any teen under age 18 or under age 21 if part of the special-needs community.
A $200,000 grant from the Colorado Health Foundation is enabling Haden’s You:Flourish to provide the app for free for one year.
The idea to create an easier way to find mental health professionals and like-minded peers originated during the COVID-19 outbreak, said Haden, a therapist. He said he noticed during the pandemic that members of the LGBTQ community — to which he belongs — were “struggling to make meaningful connections in digital spaces.”
Research, market analysis, needs development and focus groups ensued, as Haden sought to test whether his theory — that the app would positively impact people’s lives — would prove to be accurate.
Tests before the app debuted publicly showed his hypothesis was correct.
“You:Flourish will be a tool for me to cultivate a more positive mindset to build self-compassion and focus on my strengths,” one early user commented.
Another user said the app will help prioritize celebrating big and small successes amid the demands of life, and another considered the app a “helpful resource to help overcome obstacles in life.”
Data collection over the next several months will help the company ramp up for nationwide coverage in about a year, Haden said.
While You:Flourish’s research showed that 7%-10% of people living in the United States identify as LGBTQ, a 2023 survey by Public Religion Research Institute concluded that 24% of Gen Z adults ages 18 to 25 identify as LGBTQ.
That compares with 10% of all adults, 16% of millennials, 7% of Generation X, 4% of Baby Boomers and 4% of the Silent Generation, the institute found.
“It’s a significant number that about one-fourth of young people now identify as LGBTQ, so it’s really important that companies like ours and mental health and health care professionals, and the workforce understand the growing demand for services and programs that exists and be thoughtful and innovative when meeting the needs of the community,” Haden said.
You:Flourish is a for-profit company with Haden also founding the parent company, Envision:You, a nonprofit advocacy group.
