Why acceptance matters: on the mental health of LGBTQ+ people

When we talk about the mental health of LGBTQ+ people, the starting point is clear: sexual orientation and gender identity are not mental disorders.

Even so, numerous studies show that LGBTQ+ people are affected more often by anxiety, depression and feelings of loneliness than the general population.

The explanation lies in life experiences and the environment a person lives in, rather than in their identity.

What is minority stress?

Researchers have described a phenomenon called minority stress: the additional psychological pressure that can arise when a person faces, directly or indirectly, prejudice, rejection or the need to constantly protect their private life.

Sometimes it is about major events; at other times it is seemingly small experiences that add up: comments, assumptions, jokes, or the feeling that parts of your life need more explaining than other people’s.

Over time, the effect of these repeated experiences can become significant.

The fatigue of always being on guard

A less well-known concept is what some specialists call “concealment fatigue”. For some LGBTQ+ people, a significant part of their mental energy is taken up by questions such as: Can I talk openly about my personal life? How will this person react? Will they see me differently?

This state of vigilance can become tiring, even when there is no real threat. Sometimes anxiety comes from anticipating possible rejection rather than from what is actually happening.

Why does belonging matter so much?

Research in neuroscience suggests that social rejection activates some of the same brain regions involved in processing physical pain. In other words, the need for acceptance and belonging is part of how we are built as human beings.

From this perspective, uncertainty can be especially hard to bear: the feeling of not knowing whether you will be fully accepted by your family, friends, colleagues or community.

Authenticity, a protective factor for mental health

One area that has attracted a lot of interest in recent years is the relationship between authenticity and mental health. Studies suggest that people who feel they can be themselves in the important relationships in their lives tend to have lower levels of anxiety and better overall wellbeing.

Being authentic means having people and settings where you do not feel the need to hide who you are. It does not mean sharing everything with everyone.

Self-knowledge and resilience

Discussions about LGBTQ+ people often focus on the difficulties. But there is another perspective too.

Many LGBTQ+ people say that getting to know themselves helped them better understand their values, emotions and relationships. In the specialist literature, this experience is associated with the development of important resources such as introspection, psychological flexibility and empathy.

Difficulties are not desirable and should not be romanticised. Even so, the way people go through them can help build valuable forms of resilience.

When is specialist help useful?

If anxiety, sadness, insomnia, emotional exhaustion or relationship difficulties persist and affect your everyday life, talking to a psychologist or a psychiatrist can be an important step.

The aim is to understand the person’s distress and find healthy ways of adapting and finding balance, not to change their identity.

In the consulting room, each person comes with their own life story, relationships, responsibilities, losses and hopes, not as the representative of a category.