In Australia 1 in 8 people will suffer from depression and 1 in 5 with anxiety at some stage in their lives. This is high, however depression and anxiety are at least 2-3 times more common amongst LGBTIQA+ Australians. It is believed that these much higher rates are related to experiences of LGBTIQA+ based discrimination, and feeling marginalised in families, communities, schools and workplaces. Some sub-groups of LGBTIQA+ people are even more disadvantaged leading to higher levels of mental health issues, including trans and non-binary people, bisexual, pansexual and queer people. Also, LGBTIQA+ people with disabilities, and LGBTIQA+ refugees and people seeking asylum are even more marginalised.
At Northside Clinic, our GPs are very comfortable to discuss your mental health with you, and whether your LGBTIQA+ status is connected or not. We can refer to a wide range of counsellors who are LGBTIQA+ inclusive, including the counsellors working with us at Northside Clinic.
QLife is a national service run by the LGBTIQA+ community that provides phone or online peer support from 3pm to midnight every day. For more information visit QLife.