Numerous studies conducted both in the United States and internationally consistently conclude that LGBT youth report higher rates of emotional distress, symptoms related to mood and anxiety disorders, self-harm, suicidal ideation, and suicidal behavior when compared to heterosexual youth (Eskin et al. 2005, Fergusson et al. 2005, Fleming et al. 2007,Marshal et al. 2011). Furthermore, any or all of these have been shown to be a precursor to substance use, abuse, and dependence; Marshal et al. 2008). (ARCP)

In youth 14 to 21 years old, Fergusson and colleagues (1999) found that LGB youth were more likely to report suicidal thoughts or attempts, and experienced more major depression, generalized anxiety disorders, substance abuse/dependence, and comorbid diagnoses, compared to heterosexual youth. Results from a more recent US study that interviewed a community sample of LGBT youth ages 16 to 20 indicated that nearly one-third of participants met the diagnostic criteria for a mental disorder and/or reported a suicide attempt in their lifetime (Mustanski et al. 2010). When comparing these findings to mental health diagnosis rates in the general population, the difference is stark: Almost 18% of lesbian and gay youth participants met the criteria for major depression and 11.3% for PTSD in the previous 12 months, and 31% of the LGBT sample reported suicidal behavior at some point in their life. National rates for these diagnoses and behaviors among youth are 8.2%, 3.9%, and 4.1%, respectively (Kessler et al. 2012, Nock et al. 2013). (Annual Review of Clinical Psychology)

While these statistics are startling, there is some good news. Changes in societal acceptance of LGBT people have made coming out possible for youth. Compare today’s average age of 16 to the age of 18 a decade ago and 20 in the 1970s. However, the age of coming out now intersects with the developmental period characterized by potentially intense interpersonal and social regulation of gender and sexuality, including homophobia. Given this social/historical context, and despite increasing social acceptance, mental health is a particularly important concern for LGBT youth. (ARCP)

What we know now is that Connor’s mental health journey has pretty closely mirrored the above statistics. However, we did not know this at the time of his coming out or even prior when he struggled for years with anxiety (ages 10-12) and both anxiety and depression (ages 13+).