Overview
Depression has been a long-standing ailment in society; however, as mental health becomes less and less taboo to
speak freely about in the United States, the true rate of experienced depression among the public can be evaluated.
When evaluating occurrences of depression, it has been noted that special attention needs to be paid to the LGBT
youth community, as depression and its effects impact this subset of the population more severely than it does their
straight counterparts. To reduce the risk of depression in this population, policy must be enacted to reinforce the
importance of positive familiar interactions and ample support being provide to any young family member who may
express concerns about their own sexuality.
Problem Identification
Since 2015, depression has become one of the
leading mental health illnesses to affect the adult
population of the United States. As recently as 2018,
16 million Americans, or roughly 6.7% of the
population, have reported being affected by
depression of some severity annually.1 According to
some research, this number, although already high,
could be considered underreported as many adults
over the age of 18 have misperceived the symptoms
of depression to be more severe or more pronounced,
which leads them to feel their depressed mood may
not actually be diagnosable depression.1 A particular
subset of the population that is impacted by
depression at a higher rate than the general public is
the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT)
community, who is reported to experience depressive
symptoms at a rate of 1.5 times higher than the
general population.2
Figure 1. Regardless of orientation, occurrence of
depression in the LGBT community is greater than
that in the heterosexual community, where the rate of
depression in bisexual persons is the highest. 3
This disproportionate effect of depression on the
LGBT population in America should not be
overlooked as this has been noted to lead to a risk of
suicide attempts that is 6 times that noticed in their
heterosexual counterparts.2 Outside of the general
LGBT population in the United States, the LGBT
youth population (those under 18 years of age) is also
more likely to experience depression and its
associated
symptoms. According to Campus Pride, a non-profit
organization that works to make college campuses
more LGBT friendly, LGBT youth are 4.5 times more
likely to attempt suicide; twice as likely to feel sad or
hopeless; and over four times as likely to suffer from
injury, poisoning, or overdose that must be treated by
a doctor.4
Figure 2. The increased risk of depression in the
LGBT community disproportionately impacts the
LGBT youth, who are drastically increased risk of
self-harm due to their depression.4
2
What can we learn about Depression from
the Bible?
Matthew 9:12 reads, “It is not the healthy who
need a doctor, but the sick.”
Anyone who is suffering from mental illness
should feel comfort knowing God wants us to seek
treatment for what plagues us!
Policy Analysis
One of the most effective policies that has been
studied in regard to its effect on the rate of depression
in and other mental health illnesses in the LGBT
youth population is an education campaign that has
been focused on promoting the importance of familial
support provided to LGBT youth.5 Although an
educational campaign seems simple enough to
deploy, this kind of campaign is more difficult to
effectively implement as it relies heavily on a familial
unit accepting outside advice and introducing it into
their household. Studies have shown that the integrity
of child-parent relationships are often tested when an
adolescent comes out as LGBT and further indicate
that LGBT young adults who suffer from depression,
substance abuse, and suicidal ideation experienced
some degree of rejection from their family members.5
Reviewing this data should reinforce the importance
of family support for youth who may be coming out
as LGBT or even just questioning their sexuality.
Strategy and Policy Development
Drafting a bill to promote family acceptance of
LGBT life experiences would be slightly different
from drafting a bill that may impact something more
easily accessible, such as the quality or affordability
of school lunches. In this instance, I would rely
heavily on a partnership with the Department of
Health and Human Services as the success of this bill
if implemented will rely on integration with social
service offices around various communities.
Partnering with these entities would allow for the
impacts of acceptance and rejection of LGBT to be
translated from lived experiences to policy verbiage
that may influence political leaders whose support
would also be required for passing this legislation.
Additionally, I would request assistance from the
Administration for Children & Families Children’s
Bureau as this entity has extensive experience
advocating for youth well-being as well as experience
with recommendation of legislation and budgeting
proposals.6 The Children’s Bureau also has an
extensive network with other social service and child
welfare organizations that could serve as bodies and
influences within the communities that are being
impacted by these heightened rates of depression and
its effects among the LGBT youth. Additionally. I
would like to see the local social services offices
partnering with community churches to reinforce the
message from 1 Corinthians 13:4 that love is both
patient and kind. Although this plan may feel
straightforward to implement, I anticipate lack of
interest from federal and state governments due to the
interpersonal nature of the issue at hand to be a
hurdle that will need to be navigated. Additionally, I
anticipate funding to be an issues as social service
spending is anticipated to decline in 2021.7 This will
generate a great need for fundraising that will need to
be executed flawlessly and aggressively.
Policy Enactment
To ensure this policy can be enacted, I will need to
work tirelessly with the above-mentioned entities to
ensure the prepared policy is both concise but
comprehensive in the issue it will address and scope
in which the issue will be addressed. I would provide
all involved stakeholders (that include but are not
limited various congressional representatives; local
social services offices; and even religious leaders)
with a reference or “who to contact” sheet that
contains contact information for subject matter
experts to ensure ANY question that may arise can be
answered in a timely fashion. To implement such a
policy, we will be characteristically reaching across
multiple disciplines such as those of psychological
and social research; all levels of political hierarchy
(federal, state, and local) and even to spiritual leader
to ensure the impact of this policy is well understood.
Policy Implementation
As with all public health policies, the American
public will be the most significant stakeholder, as this
policy will directly improve the health of the most
important population in the country – the youth.
Local social services offices will be critical in the
measurement of success, as they will have a direct
contact with the community they are serving and will
be the first line of aid an LGBT youth who is
suffering from depression may reach out to,
especially if they have been rejected in any way by
family. As data is reported back from social services
offices, the Department of Health and Human
Services teamed with the Children’s Bureau can
adjust requests for funding or propose amendments to
the legislation if needed. Ultimately, all parties
involved will be focused on the betterment of the
mental health of all LGBT youth within their local
communities.
3
References
1. Cao C, Hu L, Xu T, et al. Prevalence, correlates and
misperception of depression symptoms in the United
States, NHANES 2015–2018. Journal of affective
disorders. 2020;269:51-57.
2. Kaniuka A, Pugh KC, Jordan M, et al. Stigma and
suicide risk among the LGBTQ population: Are anxiety
and depression to blame and can connectedness to the
LGBTQ community help? Journal of gay & lesbian
mental health. 2019;23:205-220.
3. MentalHelp. Mental Health in the LGBT Community.
Updated August 2016. Accessed October 15, 2021.
https://www.mentalhelp.net/mental-health-in-the-lgbt-
community/
4. Campus Pride. Forward Thinking Campaign shares the
risks for LGBTQ youth still today. Updated June 15,
2017. Accessed October 15, 2021.
https://www.campuspride.org/forwardthinking/
5. Ryan C, Russell ST, Huebner D, Diaz R, Sanchez J.
Family acceptance in adolescence and the health of
LGBT young adults. J Child Adolesc Psychiatr Nurs.
2010 Nov;23(4):205-13. doi: 10.1111/j.1744-
6171.2010.00246.x. PMID: 21073595.
6. Administration for Children & Families. Children’s
Bureau Organization Structure. Updated July 6, 2020.
Accessed October 15, 2021.
https://www.acf.hhs.gov/cb/about/organization-
structure
7. IBISWorld. Federal Funding for Social Services.
Updated July 26, 2021. Accessed October 15, 2021.
https://www.ibisworld.com/us/bed/federal-funding-for-
social-services/4608/
8. Source: NAMI. It’s Time to Talk About Suicide in
LGBTQ Communities. Updated September 27, 2017.
Accessed October 25, 2021.
https://www.nami.org/Blogs/NAMI-Blog/September-
2017/It-s-Time-to-Talk-About-Suicide-in-LGBTQ-
Communities
4
Source: NAMI. It’s Time to Talk About Suicide in LGBTQ Communities. Updated
September 27, 2017. Accessed October 25, 2021. https://www.nami.org/Blogs/NAMI-
Blog/September-2017/It-s-Time-to-Talk-About-Suicide-in-LGBTQ-Communiti
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