As published in Yes! Weekly
“Humbling.” That’s the word one High Point University junior from Long Island, NY used to describe quarantine. Susan, which is not her real name, was not alone in her struggles.
The COVID-19 pandemic presented unique challenges to people across the world, especially college students and LGBTQ+ youth.
As months passed with little to no social interaction, people were forced to look inside and work on themselves. This unexpected time was filled with self realization, heightened struggles, and increased contacts for suicide and crisis hotlines across the nation.
Why now?
The question that pops into many minds is simple: why now? Why now are mental health struggles increasing? Why now do people need help? Why now is society talking about mental health?The answers vary based on demographics, but for LGBTQ+ youth specifically, many different factors contribute to increased struggles.
LGBTQ+ youth are defined as any youth who self identifies as a member of the LGBTQ+ community regardless of if they are out. Straight/cisgender(cis) youth refers to youth who identify as straight and identify as the same gender they were assigned at birth.
The Trevor Project, “the leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer & questioning (LGBTQ) young people under 25”, has released numerous studies identifying key factors such as heightened depression and anxiety symptoms and increased negativity if the person lives in an unaccepting environment.
For LGBTQ+ youth who live in an unaccepting environment, school tends to be an escape: a place where the youth can be themselves, have positive interactions with friends, and forget about the struggles of acceptance occurring at home.
Amit Paley, CEO and Executive Director of The Trevor Project, said, “Since the onset of COVID-19, the volume of youth reaching out to The Trevor Project’s crisis services programs for support has, at times, doubled our pre-COVID volume.” This startling fact is one that can be seen throughout the country, with youth and adults alike struggling with mental health at higher rates than ever before, according to the Center for Disease Control.
Susan said, “For the first time I was forced to be alone with myself and couldn’t distract myself from my thoughts like I normally would do.”
Quarantine forced people from across the nation to confront their struggles. It forced people to address their trauma. It forced people to think about their pain. And for once, it forced the world to talk about mental health.
Statistics Show Struggle
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| This chart shows data compiled from The Trevor Project relating to the mental health of LGBTQ+ youth and straight/cisgender youth. |
Throughout quarantine, The Trevor Project studied and surveyed youth from across the nation regarding their mental health.
The statistics are alarming. As seen in the chart, LGBTQ+ youth, especially transgender and non-binary youth, had heightened emotions compared to their straight/cis counterparts.
“The existence of alarming mental health disparities,” as Paley said, is not only alarming, but eye opening. Paley believes these disparities must be addressed through policy change, conversations and advocacy.
However, one other statistic is very interesting as well. Although they desired mental health care, 37% of LGBTQ+ youth, 37% of Black LGBTQ+ youth, and 41% of transgender and non-binary youth could not access it.
Access to mental health care has been long discussed, yet long forgotten. While people struggle across the nation, a culture exists in the United States which stigmatizes mental health care.
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| HPU's Office of Counseling Services is located on the third floor of the Slane Student Center. |
How Does One Cope?
Coping, or investing one’s efforts to address an issue, is a key aspect of mental health. Youth and adults alike were forced to find unique ways to cope throughout the pandemic as physical distancing and lockdown orders became the new normal.HPU’s Executive Director of Counseling Services, Amber Kelley, said, “Our clinical team moved quickly in the Spring of 2020 to move to an online platform to continue to provide care for our clients.”
Finding new and unique ways to talk to clients proved a daunting task, but one Kelley’s team and other mental health professionals were up for. HPU has begun to offer more virtual options for clients and students to not just talk to a mental health provider, but to learn how they can cope on their own and help others cope.
HPU also realized the importance of giving people the resources to help others, just as The Trevor Project has done for years. The Office of Counseling Services now offers Question, Persuade, Refer trainings designed to give individuals the tools needed to identify suicidal ideation and intervene when necessary.
Susan said, “I kind of let myself be the kid I didn’t really get to be growing up. I became super involved in working out and taking care of my body. I spent enormous times outdoors and spent time with my dogs. I relied heavily on nature since it was really the only place where I could go and be safe.”
The Trevor Project has provided youth with many resources ranging from ways to connect with other youth to toolkits for coping. These resources have proven successful as more youth than ever are utilizing The Trevor Project’s life saving services.
Coping looks different for everyone. If there isn't
something here that you think will work for you,
find something you enjoy doing and use that as a
coping mechanism!
Finding new ways to cope is key to making sure you can remain healthy. From reading, to journaling, to walking, to doing yoga, to watching TV, it is important to remember that everyone copes differently and you must find what works for you.
If the pandemic has shown one thing, it is that now is when the world must talk about mental health. It has shown the world that it is okay to struggle and it is okay to not be okay.
If you or someone you know is feeling hopeless or suicidal, contact The Trevor Project's TrevorLifeline 24/7 at 1-866-488-7386. Counseling is also available 24/7 via chat every day at TheTrevorProject.org/Help, or by texting START to 678-678. You can also reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.
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