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STUDY: Mental-Health Providers Less Comfortable With Bi Men, Trans People

Charlie Brown Christmas Lucy psych standA rather unique survey coming out of California suggest that mental-health providers are still failing the LGBT community to some extent.

Conducted by the LGBTQ Reducing Disparities ProjectFirst, Do No Harm found that providers treated different segments of the community differently.

“Providers were more comfortable for example with people who are gay or lesbian versus people who are bisexual. They were less comfortable with bisexual men than bisexual women and then they were less comfortable with people who are transgender,” said researcher Poshi Mikalson..

In addition to comfort levels, many mental-health providers are not trained in addressing issues particular to the LGBT community—they may not even know to ask a patient about his or her sexuality or gender expression.

While the profession is leaps and bounds beyond where it was just a few decades ago, “There are still people dying, there are still people who are killing themselves,” says Mikalson.

 

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