Scotland’s very first mental health network to improve the lives of the LGBTQIA+ community has been launched by Glasgow Caledonian University and the University of Edinburgh.

The teams at the Scottish universities say that the network, funded by Scotland’s National Academy and the Royal Society of Edinburgh aims to build connections across the community, academia, service providers and policymakers, to share research and good practice and work towards improving mental health and wellbeing.

Research shows that people who identify as LGBTQIA+ which includes lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, intersex or asexual identities, experience worse mental health and wellbeing than their heterosexual and cisgender peers.

Experiences of stigma, discrimination and difficulties with social isolation, exclusion, rejection and bullying all contribute.

The launch of the network comes as MSPs heard about ‘significant pressure’ facing  Scotland’s adult mental health services, leading Holyrood’s Public Audit Committee to urge the government to publish a costed delivery plan.

The researchers explain that they launched the network because one of the key barriers to research and policy change in Scotland was that there was no way of bringing the LGBTQIA+ community, healthcare professionals, third sector organisations, academics and businesses together.

Dr Hazel Marzetti, University of Edinburgh Senior Research Fellow and the project co-lead says, recognising interconnected challenges on health and wellbeing is vital:

“Working across our multiple communities is critical as we face distinct yet interconnected challenges to our health and wellbeing.

“We believe these are best solved by taking a community-based approach, combining the strengths of multiple disciplines, which this network will enable.”

Project co-lead, Glasgow Caledonian’s Professor of Health and Society Jamie Frankis, says that these poorer mental health outcomes, including greater experiences of suicide are well-known.

However, he highlights that there is “very limited evidence” to address the Scottish context, adding that “this has not always translated into local service provision or policy.”

Professor Frankis said that more research is also needed to identify barriers to accessing care as well as solutions:

“Whilst we know that in Scotland, LGBTQIA+ people have worse mental health and wellbeing than our heterosexual and cisgender (non-trans) peers, we know less about why this is or how to improve it.

“So, we need to bring together researchers, practitioners, policymakers, LGTBTQIA+ communities and anyone who has an interest in working together to make positive changes in Scotland.”

The two-year project, entitled ‘Developing an Interdisciplinary LGBTQIA+ Mental Health Network for Scotland’ builds on years of mental health research carried out by Professor Frankis.

Two network lunches will be held in Glasgow and Edinburgh this month and the team are inviting anyone with an interest in improving the lives of the LGBTQIA+ community to come along and help develop the network.

Each event will include focused research briefings with Dr Marzetti on LGBTQ+ suicide and suicide prevention, and Professor Frankis on anxiety, depression and loneliness. They say they will use this work to drive change through workshops.

Professor Frankis added:

“In Scotland, most LGBTQIA+ mental health research has focused on gay and bisexual men (GBM). Our longitudinal research suggests 40% of GBM in Scotland have been diagnosed with anxiety and/or depression, three times higher than our heterosexual, cisgender peers.

“While Dr Marzetti’s emerging research has identified suicide as a major public health challenge among LGBTQIA+ youth, remaining mental health studies with LGBTQIA+ folk have included few Scotland-based participants.

“In Scotland, key service providers are keen to work with LGBTQIA+ populations, and LGBTQIA+ facing services, who are well placed for collaboration, but little LGBTQIA+ tailored mental health provision currently exists.

“Our network aims to remedy this situation.”

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