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Hostile political climate taking toll on mental health of LGBTQ youth, study finds

By Mallika Marshall, MD

May 1, 2023 / 5:52 PM EDT / CBS Boston

BOSTON — The nonprofit organization, The Trevor Project, surveyed more than 28,000 LGBTQ people ages 13-24 and found that nearly one-third said their mental health was poor most of the time or always due to legislation and policies targeting the LGBTQ community around the country.

Nearly two-thirds of respondents said that hearing about potential state and local laws banning people from discussing LGBTQ people at school, referred to by many as "Don't Say Gay," made their mental health "a lot worse".

More than 40% say they have seriously considered attempting suicide. And more than half who wanted help couldn't find it.

There are currently 469 anti-LGBTQ bills under consideration in statehouses across the nation.

Mallika Marshall, MD

Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.

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