Research shows that OCD therapy and medications both work well in treating obsessive-compulsive disorder and especially when used in combination. But some people don't respond well to medications due to inability to tolerate side effects or for other reasons. These people can often find relief from therapy-only based OCD treatments like cognitive behavior therapy (CBT).

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Therapy

A variety of obsessive-compulsive disorder therapy approaches can help people suffering from the condition. Many therapists use family therapy and CBT for OCD, either alone or together. These strategies seek to help the patient think differently and cope with their thoughts and fears in new ways.

Types of OCD Therapy

Family OCD Therapy

Family therapy sessions help teach the OCD patient and family members how to function as a normal family; helps the family members focus less on the OCD patient and more on the family as a single unit; helps the family identify conflicts and develop resolution strategies; teaches the family new ways to handle problems and changes. Often, the way certain family members handle issues and conflicts can make vulnerable members more likely to develop OCD. The therapist will attempt to identify these triggers and give the family new ways to deal with them.

Exposure Response Prevention (ERP) Therapy

A type of cognitive behavior therapy, ERP represents the current most effective OCD therapy. Using ERP, the person with OCD learns new ways of thinking, which leads to different behaviors when coping with OCD-related problems.

The exposure part requires that the patient engages in direct or imagined exposure to situations, images, or objects that trigger obsessive thought and the accompanying anxiety. The response part in the ERP refers to the compulsive behaviors people with OCD perform repeatedly to alleviate their intense anxiety. The response prevention aspect of this therapeutic approach requires that patients refrain from performing the ritual compulsions when exposed to the trigger.

With repeated exposure to triggers for increasingly longer durations, the person experiences less and less anxiety, while also resisting the urge to perform their rituals.

ERP OCD therapy begins by exposing the patient to mild trigger situations. When these cues arouse little to no anxiety, they then become exposed to triggers and cues that elicit greater levels of anxiety. The time it takes to progress depends on the patient's ability to tolerate anxiety-provoking situations and triggers as well as the ability to refrain from their compulsive behaviors. The primary goal of ERP OCD therapy is for the patient to remain exposed to the obsessive thought trigger without performing the compulsive behaviors.

These sessions occur with the therapist present, but the patient also receives instructions to practice the technique a number of times every day between sessions. On average, a course of ERP takes about 16 weeks.

CBT for OCD (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy)

Like ERP, cognitive therapy (CT) is a type of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for OCD. Therapists typically use CT in combination with ERP. CT OCD therapy helps patients interpret their obsessions and challenges what they believe about them. Likewise, CT encourages the patient to express their beliefs about what will happen if they engage in compulsive behaviors and if they do not. Patients keep a thought journal where they record their incorrect interpretations of intrusive thoughts as well as challenge and correct them.

A small body of research shows CT as an effective strategy in the treatment of OCD. Although therapists can use ERP or CT separately, many combine them because patients benefit greatly from undergoing exposure activities while also participating in thought restructuring exercises.

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There is no cure for OCD today. That's the case with most forms of mental disorders. So don't fall for scams promising they know how to cure OCD.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder treatments, such as medication and certain types of cognitive behavior therapy, can greatly reduce and sometimes even diminish symptoms. But if you discontinue your medications or stop using the tools you learned in OCD therapy sessions, your OCD symptoms may come back.

Experts Don't Know How to Cure OCD – Yet

Researchers and mental health experts don't know how to cure OCD – yet. Even so, ongoing research seeks to more fully understand the causes of obsessive-compulsive disorder in order to find a cure. Currently, doctors think of OCD as a chronic illness similar to epilepsy, diabetes, or rheumatoid arthritis. Because of its chronic nature, you need to work at managing your symptoms every day.

Initially, you may find it a challenge to accept the chronic nature of your illness. But you need to accept it and change your focus from discovering a cure for OCD to properly coping with and managing symptoms.

Good News Despite No Cure for OCD

Even though researchers haven't found a cure for OCD, you do have effective OCD treatment options available. Because every person responds differently to treatments, you and your therapist may have some work ahead to find out which therapies work for you. The majority of people find relief by following a therapeutic regimen that includes a combination of medications and cognitive behavior therapy (CBT). When the typical treatments don't work, your doctor may recommend some of the newer therapies like deep brain stimulation, biofeedback, or transcranial magnetic stimulation. You may also want to check out some of the self-help strategies for coping with OCD.

It's a challenge to come to terms with your OCD and work to manage your symptoms daily, but when you do, you'll gradually see the great benefits. By taking your medication and using the techniques you learn in therapy, you can achieve significant relief from obsessive-compulsive disorder.

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How to stop OCD symptoms is your primary concern if you're living with OCD. As you probably already know, many people have trouble dealing with OCD. A number of factors influence the intensity of symptoms in people with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Remember that up to 80 percent of all people have strange and bizarre thoughts on a regular basis. Since this indicates that having these unwanted thoughts is normal, what really matters is your reaction to them, not the fact that you have them.

How to Stop OCD Thoughts

Learning how to stop OCD thoughts before they start to cause intense anxiety represents the first step in overcoming your OCD. Before you can stop the obsessive, intrusive thoughts, you need an understanding of how they begin. This will greatly help in dealing with OCD. Imagine this scenario:

You may believe that having a disturbing thought, such as hitting someone with your car equals the moral equivalent of actually doing it. You may think that just by thinking about it, you may lose control while driving and hit and injure a pedestrian. Because of this, you might begin to think these thoughts pose a danger to others and begin to scrutinize them closely. You may try to push these thoughts you perceive as dangerous out of your mind or suppress them.

Studies indicate that this cycle of close thought scrutiny and subsequent attempts to suppress them can lead to the development of obsessive thoughts. If you allow this thought process to continue, unchecked, your anxiety will magnify and you may feel the urge to perform a compulsive ritual to stop the repetitive, disturbing thoughts.

Tips for Dealing with OCD Thoughts

One way of dealing with OCD thoughts involves thinking about them in a new way, often called mindfulness. Try to remember that your thoughts just represent a string of words generated by the brain. A string of words is not inherently dangerous and cannot cause anything to happen without accompanying physical action.

Remember that you do not have to take thoughts seriously simply because they popped into your mind. Most importantly, consider that unwanted thoughts don't necessarily represent your true character, values, or morals. Research shows that, more often than not, OCD thoughts represent things that the person having them finds the most repulsive and disgusting.

Think about it. If the thoughts didn't disturb you, you wouldn't think them dangerous or obsess over them and try to suppress them. Mindfully working to form a more objective view of your thoughts will help you in dealing with OCD.

Other self-help tips for overcoming OCD symptoms and thoughts include:

• Get enough sleep
• Identify disturbing thought triggers
• Express your emotions
• Keep a thought journal
• Reach out to others for support

It's also important that you talk to a mental health professional and ask for information about how to stop OCD thoughts and symptoms. A physician or therapist with experience in treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder can develop a complete strategy to help you with your condition. This may involve prescription drugs, cognitive behavior therapy, and mindfulness exercises like the ones above.

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People suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder can get OCD help from a variety of sources. OCD is a chronic mental illness which requires that patients manage and cope with symptoms throughout their lives. If you spend large amounts of time performing rituals in an attempt to stop repetitive thoughts, you need to seek OCD help. This article also contains 4 effective OCD self-help strategies.

Types of OCD Help

Those with obsessive-compulsive disorder should first get OCD help from a mental health professional. A psychiatrist or therapist will evaluate the type of OCD you have and the intensity of your symptoms. He or she can then develop an effective plan to treat your OCD symptoms and keep them under control. Ask you primary care physician to recommend a therapist to you. If you don't have a regular physician, ask a friend or pastor to help you find one. You can also visit the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) website. NAMI has many resources for those suffering from mental illnesses of all types and has face-to-face support groups in most medium and large cities around the U.S.

Doctors use a number of approaches when treating obsessive-compulsive disorder:

OCD Help Provided by Mental Health Professionals

• Cognitive-behavioral therapy for OCD
  • Exposure and response prevention (ERP) – repeatedly exposes the patient to obsessive triggers while the patient responds by refraining from performing the compulsive ritual. This is one of the most effective strategies available for successful OCD help.
  • Cognitive therapy (CT) – focuses on teaching patients to take a much more objective view of their obsessive thoughts and gives them healthy ways to respond to the thoughts without engaging in compulsions.
• Medications for OCD – the most effective medicines belong to a class of drugs called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). These drugs increase the amount of serotonin in the brain. SSRIs have fewer side effects than older antidepressants and have become a first-line treatment for people seeking OCD help.
• Other OCD treatments
  • Deep brain stimulation
  • Hypnosis
  • Biofeedback
  • Residential care
• Group therapy for OCD – people with OCD get support and encouragement by interacting with others suffering from the condition. The social aspect of the group also decreases the feeling of isolation that OCD patients commonly experience.
• Family therapy for OCD – family therapy can help reduce conflicts and other problems caused by OCD. It deepens understanding of the condition and empowers family members to support and help their loved ones.

Having a strong treatment team and engaging in your treatment will give you a lot of the OCD help you need.

OCD Self-Help Strategies

The best OCD self-help approach involves learning as much as you can about the disorder. The better you understand your condition, the better you can manage your symptoms. Here are 4 OCD self-help ideas:

Keep a Journal

One great OCD self-help tip is start keeping a journal of your obsessive thoughts and associated fears. Write all your thoughts down so you'll see how many times you repeat your thoughts. Write down all of the urges and compulsions that go along with the thoughts. Writing them down occupies your mind with the task rather than directly obsessing, helping the anxiety to dissipate quicker. When you keep writing the same phrase over again, it loses its power and meaning.

Identify Triggers

By identifying and anticipating your urges before they come up, you can reduce their intensity more easily. If you always doubt that you turned the stove or gas off and that triggers your compulsive checking ritual, pay close attention to your actions when you turn it off. Create a mental picture of yourself turning the stove off. Tell yourself that you've now turned the stove off. When the urge to check it comes up, re-label it for what it is – an obsessive thought. This takes practice and mindfulness, but many find it an effective OCD self-help tool.

Practice Relaxation Techniques

Learn about deep breathing techniques and progressive muscle relaxation. These tools can help reduce stress and worry that represent common triggers for OCD symptoms. Relaxation skills can act as very effective techniques in your OCD self-help plan.

Get Physical

Exercise can go along way toward giving you an overall sense of wellbeing in addition to reducing stress and emotional upset. Regular exercise of a challenging intensity may reduce the frequency and severity of OCD thoughts and behaviors.

OCD Self-Help Books

Finally, check out these books that focus on OCD self-help:

Brain Lock: Free Yourself from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder by Jeffrey Schwartz and Beverly Beyette

Coping with OCD: Practical Strategies for Living Well With Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder by Bruce M. Hyman

Overcoming Obsessive Thoughts: How to Gain Control of Your OCD by Christine Purdon, David A. Clark

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There are issues to consider around homosexuality and mental health. While being gay is not a mental illness in any way, studies do show that people who are LGBTQIA+ show greater levels of anxiety, depression, substance use disorders and suicidal feelings.¹ This is likely due to the gay discrimination and stigma that these groups face and not due to their sexuality.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBTQIA+) people can, of course, have a mental illness like any other person but the American Psychological Association is explicit when not characterizing homosexuality as a mental illness:²

"Homosexuality per se implies no impairment in judgment, stability, reliability, or general social and vocational capabilities. Further, the American Psychological Association urges all mental health professionals to take the lead in removing the stigma of mental illness that has long been associated with homosexual orientations."

LGBTQIA+ Mental Health Issues

In order to prevent undue harm to these groups, LGBTQIA+ mental health issues should be dealt with. When you consider that, in one study, nearly half of all gay people reported discrimination based on their sexuality,³ it's understandable that LGBTQIA+ mental health issues arise due to their increased stress.

LGBTQIA+ mental health concerns include:

• Anxiety disorders, including panic attacks
• OCD-Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
• Depression (Homosexuals and Depression: Help for Gays with Depression)
• Suicidal feelings and acts (Gay and Lesbian Suicide: Options to Cope)
• Self-harm
• Substance use and abuse
• Bipolar disorder

What's more, LGBTQIA+ mental health issues often start in the childhood and teen years with LGB youth being at a 14 times higher risk for suicide than their heterosexual peers.

Getting Help for LGBTQIA+ Mental Health

It's important to know, though, that mental health for LGBTQIA+ people is available. Local LGBTQIA+ groups can often point the way to local mental health help including support groups.

Many doctors and therapists also self-identify as being gay friendly or specializing in issues of LGBTQIA+ mental health. You can find these doctors through online profiles, doctor rating sites, local LGBTQIA+ groups and through the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association. The Association of Gay and Lesbian Psychiatrists is also available.

LGBTQIA+ mental health help is also available through LGBTQIA+ National Help Center:

• LGBTQIA+ National Hotline: 1-888-843-4564
• LGBTQIA+ National Youth Talkline: 1-800-246-PRIDE (7743)
• Online peer-support chat: http://www.glbtnationalhelpcenter.org/

Also try: NAMI LGBTQI

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Gay and lesbian suicide is a real concern for the thousands of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender, questioning/queer, intersex, asexual, etc. (LGBTQIA+) people at greater than average risk for suicide and mental health problems. (More about the serious issue of homosexuality and suicide) While being gay, itself, is not a risk factor for any of these problems, the stressors that come with being a sexual minority in North America can increase these risks. The stigma and negative attitudes around being an LGBTQIA+ person may contribute to:

• Violent behavior towards the LGBTQIA+ person
• Experiences of discrimination
• Bullying, harassment, teasing etc.
• Interpersonal and family rejection
• Mental health issues like depression and anxiety

There are ways to cope with these additional stressors though and communities, media, parents, schools and individuals can help.

Gay Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors

While it's clear from studies that there is an increased risk of suicide attempt in LGBTQIA+ people, it's not clear how this risk translates into completed suicides. What is known, though, is that gay suicidal thoughts are common and LGBTQIA+ youth who have attempted suicide are twice as likely to say that they really had hoped to die from their suicide attempt when compared to heterosexual youth who attempted suicide.¹

Coping with Gay and Lesbian Suicide – What Schools Can Do

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) a positive school environment has been associated with decreased depression, suicidal feelings, substance use and unexcused school absences among LGBTQIA+ youth.² According to the CDC:

". . . a study found that in schools with LGB support groups (such as gay-straight alliances), LGB students were less likely to experience threats of violence, miss school because they felt unsafe, or attempt suicide than those students in schools without LGB support groups."

Schools can decrease gay and lesbian suicide risks by doing the following:

• Encouraging universal respect and prohibiting violence, harassment and bullying of all students
• Designating "safe spaces" where LGBTQIA+ youth can receive support
• Encouraging student-led groups (like a gay-straight alliance) that promote a safe, welcoming and accepting school environment for all
• Ensuring health curricula that includes LGBTQIA+ issues
• Facilitating access to LGBTQIA+ health providers in the community

Coping with Gay and Lesbian Suicide – How Parents Can Help

A supportive home environment is clearly linked to decreased gay suicide attempt risk and youth that experience severe family rejection are more than eight times more likely to report having attempted suicide when compared to those who experienced little-to-no family rejection.³ A negative reaction to an LGBTQIA+ youth also increases rates of depression, use of illegal drugs and engagement in unprotected sexual behaviors.

Parents should talk openly about LGBTQIA+ issues including gay suicide and also:

• Be watchful of behaviors indicating the youth may be a victim of violence, harassment or bullying
• Be watchful of mental health issues like suicidal thoughts or depression
• Act immediately if any of the above are suspected
• Join with school personnel and other adults in the community to work through any issues

Coping with Gay and Lesbian Suicide – Getting Help

If you are having suicidal thoughts, it's important to reach out and remember that people want to help you. There are many organizations devoted to helping LGBT people with mental health issues and decreasing suicide risk. Several organizations focus on LGBTQIA+ youth specifically:

• Trevor Project Suicide Prevention Line: 1-800-850-8078
• Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN)
• Rainbow Youth Hotline: 1-877-LGBT-YTH (1-877-542-8984)
• GLBT National Help Center National Youth Talkline: 1-800-246-PRIDE (7743)

For gay adults, the GLBT National Help Center offers a hotline at 1-888-THE-GLNH (1-888-843-4564).

For families, PFLAG – Family and Friends of Lesbians and Gays – is a national organization with many local chapters that provide education, programs, support and advocacy.

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Depression can be a serious issue for anyone but homosexual depression may be an even bigger concern as gay people are at greater risk for depression and other mental illnesses than the general population. This increase in gay depression isn't because an individual is gay, but rather because gay people live in a society that shows stigma and discrimination towards sexual minority populations. Having to continually deal with LGBTQIA+ discrimination and stigma can affect your mental health.

Talking to Your Doctor about Gay Depression and Other Gay Issues

Homosexual depression may also be a problem because many LGBTQIA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning/queer, intersex, asexual, etc.) people feel uncomfortable coming out to their doctor or other healthcare provider and discussing issues pertinent to homosexuality. However, the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association (GLMA) lists depression and anxiety among the top ten things that gay people need to discuss with their doctors.¹

Other important things to discuss with your doctor that can also help with gay depression include:

• Coming out to your provider – this can put any homosexual depression you may be facing into context
• Sexually-transmitted diseases/infections and safe sex
• Substance use (including cigarettes and alcohol) – substance use is closely linked to depression

Signs of LGBTQIA+ Depression

The signs of depression in LGBTQIA+ people are the same as seen in others. Signs of depression include:²

• Depressed mood
• An inability to feel pleasure
• Changes in sleeping and eating patterns
• Weight change
• Fatigue
• Sense of worthlessness
• Difficulty in concentrating or making decisions
• Recurrent thoughts of death; suicidal

It's worth noting that gay and lesbian depression may be made worse due to interpersonal, religion and family rejection, societal stigma and internalized homophobia. As one gay person expressed:³

"Knowing what was facing me religion-wise and with my family, I was pretty suicidal between the ages of about 16 and 19 . . . Not so much because of people's homophobia but because of feeling totally trapped between a religion/family that didn't accept homosexuality and being who I was."

Gay Depression Help

There is help available for homosexual depression. This help includes medical help, psychological help and gay depression support groups. To locate gay depression help in your area, contact a local LGBT group or find a gay-friendly healthcare provider through:

• The Gay and Lesbian Medical Association
• The Association of Gay and Lesbian Psychiatrists
• The Association for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Issues in Counselling

More on depression treatment.

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Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning/queer, intersex, asexual, etc. (LGBTQIA+) support can be extremely helpful for people but only if gay people feel comfortable enough to get it.

One of the challenges in reaching out for support if you're gay is that you may feel that others who are not gay will not understand your particular situation. Luckily there are many support groups for LGBTQIA+ people. These gay support groups can help people through the challenges associated with gay discrimination and stigma. LGBTQIA+ groups are often targeted towards specific groups of people. You might find targeted LGBTQIA+ support groups for:

• Teens
• University/College students
• Family members and friends of gay people
• Adults
• Men or women

What Can Support Groups for LGBT People Offer?

Gay support can help someone dealing with issues anywhere along a continuum - from the point where they are questioning their sexuality through dealing with the challenges of possibly coming out at work or struggling with gay relationship issues. Support groups for LGBTQIA+ people often do this through peer support. This means that support groups are led by other LGBTQIA+ people and not necessarily professionals. This allows LGBTQIA+ people to support each other through life's challenges.

Some LGBTQIA+ support groups may also be run by professionals. This might be a professional group facilitator or even a mental health professional. Being gay, of course, is not a mental illness, but support groups can often benefit from professional leadership.

Gay support groups for the families and friends of gay people can offer help with:¹

• Helping a gay loved one through the challenges of coming out
• Parenting a gay youth
• The coming out process of the family member or friend
• Coping with changes in expectations due to sexuality (expectations of marriage, grandchildren, etc.)
• Dealing with discrimination and stigma
• Feeling included and normalizing minority sexuality
• Finding an accepting community

Gay support groups offer similar advantages for LGBTQIA+ people:

• Help in coming out
• Help in dealing with interpersonal, religious or family rejection
• Resources
• Help with workplace or school challenges
• Dealing with internalized homophobia
• Finding others "just like you"
• Help with homosexuality and mental health issues

Finding LGBTQIA+ Support Groups

LGBTQIA+ support groups can be found through mental health organizations and professionals like:

• National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
• Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA)
• The Gay and Lesbian Medical Association
• The Association of Gay and Lesbian Psychiatrists

LGBT family and friend support groups can be found through this Gay Parent magazine directory or through PFLAG – Parents, Family and Friends of Lesbians and Gays.

Gay help and resources can also be found through local LGBT organizations and online. For online gay help support groups, check out:

• DailyStrength
• SupportGroups.com
• MDJunction
• QueerAttitude.com (for gay teens)

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Some people think that gay discrimination is a thing of the past, but unfortunately, gay stigma is still alive and well. Gay people still face stigma is the form of discrimination, harassment, bullying, teasing, homophobia and even assault. Gay discrimination can harm a person's mental well-being, including their self-esteem. Gay discrimination affects both gay men and women and people who are perceived as being gay.

Gay Discrimination and Minority Stress

As lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning/queer, intersex, asexual (LGBTQIA+) people are a minority in North America, they are known as a sexual minority. Associated with being a minority is something known as "minority stress." This term is used to describe the excess stress with which individuals from stigmatized social categories are exposed.

Stress stemming from gay stigma includes:¹

• The experience of prejudice events
• Expectations of rejection
• Hiding and concealing oneself
• Internalized homophobia
• Habits designed to cope with these stresses

In a study on minority stress and mental health in gay men, minority stress was, indeed, identified and those who experienced high levels of minority stress had a two-to-three times greater chance of experiencing significant distress.²

Antigay Discrimination

Antigay discrimination can be seen in workplaces, schools and in everyday life. Gay stigma can be seen from the day an LGBTQIA+person comes out to their family, as some families go so far as to kick a child who is gay out of the home. On the subject of coming out to her family, one lesbian shares her parents' reaction:³

"Shock, anger, concern plus 'Maybe we should send you to a psychiatrist,' from my father. 'I would rather you were dead than be one of those,' from my mother."

Gay discrimination in the workplace has been studied and the results are staggering. Of gay and transgender workers:⁴

• 15-43% have experienced some on-the-job discrimination
• 8-17% report having been passed over for a job or fired because of their sexuality or gender identity
• 10-28% have received a negative performance review or were passed over for a job
• 7-41% were verbally or physically abused or had their workspace vandalized

Antigay employment discrimination was revealed in seven-out-of-eight studies. (Something you should consider before coming out at work)

Antigay discrimination outside of the workplace is also common and gay stigma often affects an LGBTQIA+ person's ability to access quality healthcare and housing.⁵

Antigay Discrimination's Effect on Mental Health

Facing gay discrimination day after day can easily take a toll on the mental health of the person involved. These manifestations of stigma contribute to the increased risk of mental illness seen in gay people.

One study found that gay, lesbian and bisexual groups are about two-and-one-half times more likely than heterosexual men and women to have had a mental health disorder, such as those related to mood, anxiety, or substance use, in their lifetime.⁶

It's important to remember though, that while gay discrimination is real, it is wrong. There is nothing inherently wrong or bad about any LGBTQIA+ person and there is no excuse for judging a person based on their sexuality or gender identity.

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LGBTQIA+ discrimination is real and it has been felt in one way or another by almost every lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, intersex, asexual, etc. (LGBTQIA+) person. LGBTQIA+ discrimination can be seen in almost every aspect of life from housing, to employment, to schooling to family and religion. This type of discrimination is driven by LGBTQIA+ stigma and this type of stigma and discrimination often negatively impacts a person's mental health.

This impact of gay discrimination is seen in the mental illness rates of LGBTQIA+ people. Unfortunately, according to a study, LGB people are about 2.5 times more likely to experience a mental illness in their lifetime.¹ This increase is seen in disorders like:

• Panic attacks, obsessive-compulsive and other anxiety disorders
• Depression (Homosexuals and Depression: Help for Gays with Depression)
• Bipolar
• Substance use
• Self-harm, suicidal feelings and actions

You can find more information on LGBT youth and mental health concerns here.

Getting Help for LGBT Stigma-Related Mental Health Issues

What's important to know is that whether you are experiencing anxiety produced by LGBT discrimination experiences or suspect you have a mental illness like depression or bipolar disorder, it's important to get help. This help might come in the form of:

• Emergency help – through a helpline, 9-1-1 or an emergency room. This is critical in the event that you, or another, are in danger.
• Medical help – useful for those that suspect they have a mental illness. This includes doctors like your family doctor or a psychiatrist.
• Psychological help – useful in many cases as counselors and psychologists are trained to deal with both LGBTQIA+ stigma issues and mental health issues.
• A support group – often used in conjunction with other help to support someone through treatment such as addiction treatment.
• Getting help when dealing with the complexity of having LGBTQIA+ discrimination issues mixed in with mental health issues may make the use of an LGBTQIA+ specialist a good idea (see below).

Mental Health Organizations and LGBTQIA+ Stigma

Handling mental health challenges can be difficult at the best of times but it can seem downright impossible in the face of LGBT stigma. Luckily there are gay support resources that can help.

Many mental health organizations are gay-friendly and some even have specialized programs for LGBTQIA+ people. Mental health organizations offer resources like:

• Support and discussion groups
• Research material
• Advocacy
• Counseling
• Educational programs
• Workshops

The biggest mental health organization that also specifically addresses LGBTQIA+ stigma and discrimination is the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). See here for more information or locate a chapter near you.

Medical Mental Health Help in the Face of LGBT Stigma

While most psychologists and psychiatrists are gay-friendly, there are some doctors, psychologists and counselors that specifically address is the issues, like LGBTQIA+ stigma, that a gay person with mental health challenges might face. To find a medical professional that specializes in treating, educating and advocating for LGBTQIA+ people, see:

• The Association of Gay and Lesbian Psychiatrists
• The Gay and Lesbian Medical Association
• The Association for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Issues in Counselling

Other Useful LGBTQIA+ Discrimination Mental Health Links

In addition to these organizations, there are other organizations also dedicated to helping mental health consumers dealing with gay and lesbian discrimination:

• The Rainbow Heights Club
• The Trevor Project – which also runs a helpline at 866-488-7386

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