Digital Mental Health Resources for LGBTQ+ and Allies
LGBTQ+ people are typically healthy and well-adjusted. However, they do suffer from mental health issues at a higher rate than their heterosexual peers, and that number is growing due to things like the political climate and legislation, after-effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, and general reported increases of anxiety and stress among younger populations.
Allies can help those in the LGBTQ+ community by providing safe spaces, listening, using inclusive language, and educating yourself through many of the resources found below. From a mental health perspective, identifying early signs of mental illness in your LGBTQ+ family and friends is very important.
Our resources below are designed to help spread awareness and provide access to tools and solutions to help LGBTQ+ people with their mental health. You’ll find videos, books, podcasts, research, crisis lines and more below.
LGBTQ+ Specific Websites
The Trevor Project
The Trevor Project maintains a suicide hotline that is always open, giving those in the LGBTQ+ community a safe place to talk and get help.
Trans Lifeline
The Trains Lifeline provides support for those in need via a peer support network, which is available both online and over the phone 24/7.
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
Learn how to take care of yourself and other tips through this website, which also supplies visitors with a number they can call to get help anytime.
LGBT National Help Center
This national help center encourages others to call before a crisis happens and offers hotlines for seniors, those who need help coming out, and many more.
Colors LGBTQ Youth
Get support from people who understand what you’re going through and can help when you call about free LGBTQ counseling services in LA.
National Alliance on Mental Illness
NAMI has an entire section of its website dedicated to LGBTQ+ issues, including your risk factors and how you can find the right professional for help.
PFLAG
PFLAG is one of the leading LGBTQ+ organizations and helps visitors find the support they need and gives them access to dozens of resources.
Crisis Text Line
The Crisis Text Line offers help every hour of the day and night through WhatsApp as well as text messages through your phone and live chats.
GLSEN Student Resources
Find resources designed for LGBTQ+ students on this website, including programs you can join and how you can become a mentor to another student.
Health Professionals Advancing LGBTQ+ Equality
GLMA is an organization of health professionals who operate a Lesbian Health Fund, advocate for health resources, and provide support to community members.
True Colors United
True Colors United offers a variety of programs to help LGBTQ+ youth, such as training and education as well as support for those who lost their homes.
Pride Institute
The Pride Institute offers addiction treatment for those in the LGBTQ+ community who usually do not have access to programs designed for them.
Pride and Mental Health
Available from Mental Health America, this website celebrates pride every month and has a section dedicated to helping those facing mental health challenges.
Scholarly Articles
Mental Health in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Youth
Discover the current research into LGBT mental health in this article, which includes a full annual review of the recent research into the field.
Mental Health Resources for LGBT Collegians: A Content Analysis of College Counseling Center Web Sites
The authors of this article examined the websites college counseling centers use to discuss what they offer to LGBT students facing mental health challenges.
Reducing the Treatment Gap for LGBT Mental Health Needs: The Potential of Telepsychiatry
In this article, you’ll discover the potential that telehealth and online appointments have and how they can help those struggling with their mental health.
Minority Stress and Mental Health Among LGBT Populations: An Update on the Evidence
Released in 2019, this article goes over the most recent evidence and research on LGBTQ+ mental health to discuss what it means.
Mental Health Care for LGBT Youths
Multiple authors worked on this piece that focuses on how the LGBT population is diverse and the mental health support they need should also be diverse.
Availability of LGBTQ Mental Health Services for US Youth, 2014 to 2020
Find out why LGBTQ+ mental health services for younger people are so hard to find in this article, which also looks at the support they need.
LGBT Identity, Untreated Depression, and Unmet Need for Mental Health Services by Sexual Minority Women and Trans-Identified People
Discover what the lack of treatment options means and how certain populations face more struggles as a result in this detailed article.
Future Directions in Understanding and Addressing Mental Health among LGBTQ Youth
Nearly 20,000 people read this article that looks at how the mental health challenges of LGBTQ youth changed and the directions professionals must take.
The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Communities’ Mental Health Care Needs and Experiences of Mental Health Services: An Integrative Review of Qualitative Studies
This article gives you the chance to learn about the current research into the LGBTQ+ community’s mental health needs and their experiences.
Current Capacity and Future Implementation of Mental Health Services in U.S. LGBTQ Community Centers
Find out more about the community help available to LGBTQ+ youth and the type of support they will need in the future in this article.
Typologies of Social Support and Associations with Mental Health Outcomes Among LGBT Youth
Check out the methodology used in this study and then read through the types of help given to LGBT youth along with what they still need.
Web Articles
Understanding LGBTQ+ Mental Health
Get a lowdown on the mental health needs of the LGBTQ+ and how their uniqueness poses so many challenges for those trying to help.
LGBTQ Teens Often Struggle to Find Mental Health Care Tailored to Them
NBC released a story to discuss how less than 33% of treatment centers offer help for LGBTQ teens and how this presents more problems in the future.
Mental Health Care Lagging for LGBTQ Youth
From US News & World Report, this piece looks at how the number of LGBTQ youth rose in recent years while mental health care support grew at a lower rate.
Why Does the LGBTQIA+ Community Suffer from Poor Mental Health at Lower Rates?
Learn some of the facts about the LGBTQIA+ community and how they suffer from poor mental health due to the lack of resources in this article.
People who are Gay, Lesbian, or Bi Have More Mental Health and Substance Abuse Problems
In this article from CNN Heath, you’ll discover the lack of resources available to LGBTQ+ members and why they’re more prone to substance abuse and mental health conditions.
To Solve the LGBT Youth Mental Health Crisis, Our Research Must be More Nuanced
Myeshia Price uses this article to go over the mental health crisis in America and why more research is needed in the LGBT arena.
Mental Health Challenges of LGBTQ+ Kids
Take a look at some of the risk factors associated with the mental health of LGBTQ+ kids and what factors can make their lives easier in this article.
Religious Trauma Still Haunts Millions of LGBT Americans
Spencer MacNaughton spoke with mental health professionals about religious trauma and how it affects people of different groups, including LGBTQ+ members.
Mental Health of LGBTQ Youth Worsening in Current “Hostile Political Climate,” Survey Finds
Writing for CBS News, Cara Tabachinck goes over a recent survey, which found that LGBTQ youth face more mental health challenges due to recent political changes.
LGBTQ+ Youth Are at High Risk of Depression, Anxiety, Suicide: How You Can Help
Learn how you can help the LGBTQ+ youth who are more prone to suffer from depression and related conditions in this report from ABC News 7.
Videos
#1: LGBTQ+ Mental Health: Coming Out, Therapy, and Acceptance
From PsychHub, this video looks at some of the mental health challenges that face the LGBTQ+ community and how therapy and acceptance help.
The Importance of Prioritizing Mental Health for the LGBTQ+ Community
Created by the Mayo Clinic, this video focuses on the needs of those in the LGBTQ+ community and why professionals need to prioritize helping them.
How to Take Care of Yourself
Learn how to take care of yourself and put your needs first in this video, which looks over some of the mental health challenges facing the community.
Mental Health and the LGBTQ+ Community
This video shares a public presentation by a professional and features both the questions the audience asked about LGBTQ+ mental health and his answers.
LGBTQ+ Youth and Mental Health
It takes less than five minutes to finish this video and get a strong understanding of the mental health challenges LGBTQ+ youth face.
Protecting Mental Health in the LGBTQ+ Community
10 Tampa Bay worked with Safe Space on this video that deals with why protecting the mental health of LGBTQ+ community members is so important.
Culturally Competent Care for LGBTQ Youth
Available from the Suicide Prevention Resource Center, this video features the director of The Trevor Project as she discusses the importance of culturally sensitive and competent care.
LGBTQ Youth and Public Health
Cynthia Hawk hosted a TED Talk to focus on the lack of public health resources for youth in the LGBTQ community and how others can help them.
LGBTQ Mental Health Needs
Sarah Aked has her MSW degree and uses her social work experience to talk about the growing mental health needs in the LGBTQ world.
Mental Health and Self-Care
Choose your local PBS station to watch this video and learn more about the importance of self-care when it comes to your mental health as an LGBTQ+ member.
Books
LGBTQ: The Survival Guide for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning Teens
This just might be the definitive resource for those in the community because it covers so many topics like what specific terms mean and where to go for help.
Seasonal Velocities
Seasonal Velocities is an award-winning book that includes stories and essays from others about their experiences and the lessons they learned along the way.
More Than Organs
Kay Ulanday Barrett shares her poems in this book to talk about her experiences as a queer and brown person to help readers realize they aren’t alone.
Life Isn’t Binary
Life Isn’t Binary is a book that shows readers life isn’t always black and white through a frank examination of transgenderism and how it changed over the years.
Headcase: LGBTQ Writers & Artists on Mental Health and Wellness
The two editors behind this book collected a series of essays and articles from LGBTQ artists and writers about what mental health means to them.
Why Has Nobody Told Me Before?
Dr. Julie Smith is a mental health professional who wrote this book to provide readers with tools they can use to examine their mental health and see where they need help.
The New Queer Conscious
The New Queer Conscious combines illustrations and text to go over the responsibilities of queer people and what they can do to help others.
Queer Up: An Uplifting Guide to LGBTQ+ Love, Life and Mental Health
Alex Caught is the author behind Queer Up, a book designed to guide LGBTQ+ community members through the world of mental health and love.
Podcasts
Bottoming Podcast
Bottoming is a unique podcast designed to help those in the LGBTQ+ community who hit rock bottom learn that help exists and that they aren’t alone.
Mental Health Much?
This podcast is just for queer people who have questions about their mental health as it tackles topics like how to develop social skills.
Queer Magic Podcast
Queer Magic Podcast wrapped up its first season with episodes devoted to gender magic, religious trauma, stories from undocumented people, and much more.
BIPOC and LGBTQ2S+ Mental Health
Every episode of this podcast includes conversations on both mental health and race with topics like how many people in the community deal with trauma.
The Queer Therapist
Use the free resource library on this site before or after listening to podcasts that talk about how to get help and what the brain goes through.
The Inked Therapist
A real therapist is part of this podcast, which looks at cisgender privilege, how to get help when you need it, and some related topics.
Being Yourself Loudly
Isabel Mata uses her podcast to encourage others to be themselves and live the lives they want without worrying about how others think.
Inside Mental Health Podcast
Listen to the host of the Inside Mental Health Podcast as he talks with experts about how mental health and LGBTQ+ identity go together.
Neuro Queering: Beyond the Intersection of Neurodiversity and Queerness
Pasha Marlowe has an MFT and uses this podcast to talk about how neuro issues and queerness often go hand in hand and related topics.
Queer Health Podcast
The Queer Health Podcast features professionals and experts who answer questions submitted by listeners about LGBTQ+ mental health.
Apps
Subdial
Subdial is an app from Being Human to help the LGBTQ+ community and others who do not feel comfortable calling the police to find alternatives.
Better Help
Use the Better Health app to find the mental health professionals you need in your area, including therapy for teens, individuals, and couples.
Wisdo: Mental Health & Support
If you don’t feel comfortable looking for local help, use this app to see virtual help groups along with live chat support 24 hours a day.
Pride Mantra: LGBT Counseling
Mantra Care launched this app as a way to help people struggling with body dysmorphia and other issues who want to get professional help.
Voda LGBTQIA+ Mental Wellness
This new app uses AI to provide users with mantras to improve their mental health along with free advice on a range of LGBTQIA+ topics.
Kalda
The Kalda app offers guides to help you work through depression, anxiety, and other mental health conditions from the comfort of your home.
Happify
Use Happify to overcome the negative thoughts that weigh you down at the same time you learn how to overcome any challenges you face.
Calm
Calm is an app that helps you relax and battle any stress you feel through soothing sounds that help you enjoy nature anywhere you go.
Super Better
Super Better is an app designed for teachers and educators who want to improve the emotional and social lives of their students through special programs.
MINDapps
Check out this app library to see free and premium apps that include a bipolar testing app and others to help you combat stress and feel more peaceful.
Be an Ally
Ally or Accomplice? The Language of Activism
Learning for Justice looks at what an activist is compared to an accomplice and how both can support those in the LGBTQ+ community.
Guide to Allyship
If you want to help the LGBTQ+ community or a specific person, use this website as your ultimate guide to see what you can do and how to handle mistakes.
Guide to Being an Ally to Transgender and Nonbinary Young People
Whether you’re a friend or loved one of someone in the LGBTQ+ arena, this guide helps you learn what you can and cannot do as you support them.
Human Rights Campaign
The Human Rights Campaign offers a free guide on how to become an ally along with tons of resources and opportunities for volunteers.
LGBTQIA Ally Tips
Discover some simple tips on how to become an LGBTQIA ally, including what you can do as an individual or as part of an organization.
LGBTQ Allyship Resource Kit
The resources available on this site are free and run the gamut from the history of the LGBTQ+ community to how parents can help their kids come out.
The Straight for Equality Ally Spectrum
Helping the LGBTQ+ community is a spectrum, and you can see where you land on this website, which talks about both the new ally and the super ally.
Being an Ally to LGBT People
Whether you’re straight or part of the community, this website helps you become an ally and learn what you can do to support anyone in need.
Allyship in Action
Use this website to see how you can launch an allyship program in your community or organization and find all the resources you need.
Research: How to Become a Better Ally to the LGBTQ+ Community
The authors behind this piece look at how workplaces as well as schools and other settings can help those in the LGBTQ+ community and become better allies.
Allyship
Hosted by The Center, this website goes over what effective allies are and how you can promote allyship through speaking out, teaching, and other methods.