Mental health and quality of life of gay men and lesbians in England and Wales: controlled, cross-sectional study.
BACKGROUND
Little is known about the mental health of gay men and lesbians living in Europe.


OBJECTIVE
To compare psychological status, quality of life and use of mental health services by lesbians and gay men with heterosexual people.


METHODS
Cross-sectional study in England and Wales using 'snowball' sampling.


RESULTS



METHODS
656 gay men, 505 heterosexual men, 430 lesbians and 588 heterosexual women. Gay men were more likely than heterosexual men to score above threshold on the Clinical Interview Schedule, indicating greater levels of psychological distress (RR 1.24, 95% CI 1.07-1.43), as were lesbians compared with heterosexual women (RR 1.30, 95% CI 1.11-1.52). Gay men and lesbians were more likely than heterosexuals to have consulted a mental health professional in the past, deliberately harmed themselves and used recreational drugs. Lesbians were more likely to have experienced verbal and physical intimidation and to consume more alcohol than heterosexual women.


CONCLUSIONS
Awareness of mental health issues for gay men and lesbians should become a standard part of training for mental health professionals, who need to be aware of the potential for substance misuse and self-harm in this group and of the discrimination experienced by many lesbians.
King
Michael
M
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences, Royal Free and University College Medical School, London, UK. m.king@rfc.ucl.ac.uk
McKeown
Eamonn
E
Warner
James
J
Ramsay
Angus
A
Johnson
Katherine
K
Cort
Clive
C
Wright
Lucie
L
Blizard
Robert
R
Davidson
Oliver
O
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000523:psychology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004739:England; D005260:Female; D018452:Homosexuality, Female / Q000523:psychology*; D018451:Homosexuality, Male / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000523:psychology; D011287:Prejudice; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D016728:Self-Injurious Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D012919:Social Behavior; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014852:Wales