Gay and Mental Illness

[fidusetaudax]

I was just wondering how many gay men out there, or gay women out there, have been coping with mental illness. I've recently been diagnosed and it's just really difficult to take in and deal with, right in the beginning anyways. Any thoughts?

[Bowyn Aerrow]

Actually a lot of LGBT folk tend to have other issues, such as self destructive behaviors (cutting, alcoholism, drug use) and depression and the like.

The reason is not because they are LGBT, the reason is because of how they are treated for being LGBT.

So having something more is often typical for LGBT.

[Puck]

I'm diagnosed as manic-depressive. I'm on medication to balance out my mood swings, but I don't particularly enjoy the western method of "let's not address the problem, we'll just shove pills at it" method of healing. Its like being mauled by a grizzly bear and trying to heal the wound by slapping a band-aid on it.

Don't know if that's what you were asking about, but that's my take.

[Blue]

I think the internal conflict many of us went through in the process of coming to terms with being LGBT also plays into it. Yes that's less today than it was in my generation, but it's still there to some degree.

Being programmed to thing you are bad, wrong, abnormal just foe being you is a lot to deal with at any age, and many of us were dealing with that, on top of how we were treated just for being LGBT at fairly young ages for anyone to have to face that stuff.

Toss in a percentage of entirely dysfunctional families, abusive parents and so on, and it all adds up to mental health issues being more common for LGBT.

[East]

I had fragmented personalities due to very intense child abuse.....

.....in order to survive what was happening I created a personality that could deal with it. It is VERY COMMON...alot of people who have fragmented personalities do not even realize it.

No pills for me though....my #1 goal has always been to integrate myself and make myself whole and I have been successsful pretty much to the 90% stage...not sure if I can ever get the other 10% back. .

None of this has to do with me being gay though.

[chillythoughts]

I have schizophrenia and as I posted a couple weeks ago, I am indeed a cutter and have depression aswell. I was bullied in high school for being gay and other things too. I have been on meds for 9 years now and to be honest, I dont like it. I would like to talk things out rather going to meds but doctors in america think meds are the best form of therapy which I disagree with.

[Miles]

Sell meds. Make $$. Less work than trying to understand a different method of perceiving this incomprehensible world and accommodating it to a society that has no time or tolerance for it. No one has a monopoly on what's really going on here.

[megumidesu]

i have anorexia nervosa , obsessive compulsive disorder and social anxiety disorder . but none of them are anything to do with me being a lesbian ~ they're a result of a physically and sexually abusive childhood ~
i've never had any major problems as a result of my sexuality ...

[gavjg]

I have been on AD tablets for a number of years, And was bullied at school for being Gay.
At 43 and not even had a relationship has a whole lot to do with it I think and to get people to understand that you are a person and not some mad weirdo just because you are on medication and depressed.
Mental illness is something which lot's still do not understand and unless that person has had some form of mental illness then they just don't know what you have been going through.
I have just joined this forum so that I can try and live life as I want to live it and hope that this will help me acheive the confidence needed to get a gay friendship/Relationship and come off the tablets.
I can fully understand people who have or are going through such a cruel and terrible illness and would like to make it clear that you are not alone. X

[biwarlock]

has nothing to do with me being LGBT i have insomnia and have been diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder and ADHD.
the insomnia is from boot camp having getting very little sleep there my body adapted to the point where i can go 4-6 days without sleep and still function.
the ADHD is bullshit because ive met people more hyper than me without it
and the Antisocial disorder stems from my ADHD i had to talk to a Psychatrist(sp?) about the fact that i was getting into a lot of fights in school due to me being Bi. and the reason i was getting into so many fights was due to my meds i was on ritalin for 3 years. for those who dont know ritalin makes you into two type of people, a zombie or a "HULK" as far as temper goes. i also do not like doctors at all so i was being hostile and blunt with the psychatrist so she thought i had antisocial disorder.