There are 1.5 million LGB adults age 65 and older in the U.S. For all seniors, aging poses many mental health issues — but for these LGB as well as trans and gender-nonconforming elders, mental health is an even more pressing matter.
Due to a lifetime of discrimination, LGBTQ elders are more likely than their straight cis peers to lack proper community support, adequate health care, and financial security, thus putting them at higher risk for mental health issues, according to a report from SAGE. LGBTQ seniors are at higher risk of being diagnosed with depression and anxiety and experiencing social isolation. Thirty-nine percent of LGBTQ elders have experienced suicidal ideation in their lifetime, and 31 percent have symptoms of depression — two to three times higher than the general older adult population in the U.S. These stats are higher for transgender elders: 48 percent have experienced symptoms of depression and 71 percent reported a history of suicidal ideation.
Past employment discrimination that today’s elders lived through may have made it more difficult for them to secure stable employment and save for retirement and aging, and health care discrimination often leads to a lasting distrust in psychiatrists and other health care providers — making health care needs more difficult to seek out for LGBTQ elders. […]
Click here to read the full piece. This story was originally published by the Georgia Voice on June 21, 2024.
