Mental Health Issues Paper

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When it comes to mental health service learning how to access services can be difficult for any population. Under the mental health umbrella there are several levels of services that a person can receive. Also within in those different levels there are people who specialize in different issues. People need to be aware of obstacles that they could face when trying to access mental health services and that it may take some time before a person receives the appropriate treatment for this case. This paper will provide an overview on the obstacles that members of the LGBT community face when trying to access needed mental health services. Mental illness has become a prevalent issue amongst the LGBT community. Several studies have shown that gay …show more content…

N, et. al, 2015). Aspects of rural living can produce challenges and vulnerabilities for lesbians who create their households there, which can produce unequaled considerations for mental health providers practicing in rural areas. In a sample of aging LGBT individuals residing in rural areas, King and Dabelko-Schoeny (2009) examined participants’ perceptions of the feasibility of aging-in-place as a sexual minority in a rural community. Additionally, it is essential for rural mental health care providers to be informed of the unique origin of social support and health care that aging rural lesbians may depend on and foster these connections and sources of coping and …show more content…

As society grow less homophobic and heterosexist, the LGBT community can appear to perceive that environmental support exists for their psychosocial advancement in sudden ways. For instance, one study of 6540 transgender individuals found that 28% of participants had experienced verbal harassment in a doctor’s office and 19% describe being refused medical care altogether for of their transgender status (Rutherford, et. al, 2012). This discontentment may be related to experiences of judgment in the context of care. There is evidence that implies that the poor mental health outcomes observed in LGBT communities are combined with the pressure of having a stigmatized individuality, experiences and expectations of judgment, and living in a homophobic or heterosexist community (Rutherford, et. al,2012). This would be anticipate in the context of these high rates of need, gay and lesbian individuals are also more likely than their heterosexual equals to consume mental health services. Although there are high rates of service utilization, at least one study has found that sexual

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