ReachOut assisting up to 26k LGBTQI young people with mental health per month

10 February 2016

New data from a study of young people accessing ReachOut.com shows that each month tens of thousands of LGBTQI* young Australians with concerning mental health symptoms are accessing ReachOut.

In a study of more than 2000 ReachOut users aged 16–25 years, 35 per cent identified as LGBTQI. When applied to ReachOut’s overall number of visitors, this new data indicates that as many as 26,000 LGBTQI young people visit ReachOut each month.

Of the young people who identified as LGBTQI, 77 per cent were found to have severe or extremely severe depression, anxiety and/or stress, showing that ReachOut is providing information, advice and support to large numbers of LGBTQI young people.

‘LGBTQI young Australians are at greater risk of being marginalised, alienated, rejected or bullied, which is why it’s so important to provide an anonymous, safe place for them to explore information about sexuality and gender,’ said ReachOut CEO Jono Nicholas.

‘For the past few years, ReachOut has expanded our on-site support and worked hard to engage with LGBTQI young people so that they know we support them and are here to help.’

LGBTQI young people who visit ReachOut can access personal stories from LGBTQI young people, chat about their experiences in the peer-to-peer forums, and read a range of factsheets about sexuality and identity. For young people in high psychological distress, ReachOut also provides referral pathways to additional support from tailored services such as Twenty10, ACON and the Freedom Centre.

In a public show of support for young LGBTQI young people, ReachOut will partner with consulting firm and long-term supporter EY to show the importance of coming together across diversity, with a float themed ‘building brighter futures’ in the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade on 5 March 2016.

‘We’re deeply passionate about supporting LGBTQI young people’s wellbeing, so we’re very excited to join our friends EY in the Sydney Mardi Gras Parade.

‘Our joint entry in the parade reflects our shared belief that LGBTQI young people deserve the building blocks to a brighter future: equal rights, access to help, and freedom from discrimination.’

Notes

*The acronym 'LGBTQI', which commonly stands for 'lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer or questioning and intersex', is used in here to collectively refer to young people of diverse sexuality, gender or intersex status. This includes young people in the study who identified with any of these identities, were intersex and/or used other terms than these to describe their sexual orientation and/or gender identity (but who were not heterosexual).