Young Gay and Bisexual Men are 6 Times More Likely to Commit Suicide

A study published in the Journal of Public Health reveals that gay and bisexual men below the age of 26 are six times more likely to commit suicide or harm themselves than older men. The researchers explain that unlike younger men, men above 45 are more capable of coping with homophobia and could possibly be more privileged in other aspects of their lives.

Moreover, young gay and bisexual men are also two times more likely to be depressed or anxious. Meanwhile, black gay and bisexual men are also twice as likely to be depressed and five times more likely to commit suicide compared to white men.

Men with lower educational backgrounds are also two times more likely to suffer from the same problems due to lower income. On the other hand, men who received higher education are less likely to experience one of these issues.

Gay couple. Credit: Tumblr

The researchers point out that some of these men may also suffer from discrimination unrelated to their sexuality, which adds to the report. Nevertheless, their study shows that mental health problems are rampant among gay and bisexual youths as well as minorities.

“Poor mental health is not evenly distributed across race, income or education,” says lead author Ford Hickson from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. “We must ensure that access to life-changing support services are targeted to where they are needed most. Everyone has the right to good mental health.”

The research team suggests that cohabitation can improve these problems. They say that gay and bisexual men who live with a partner are 50 percent less likely to experience depression than those who live alone. Living in areas with high population of gay and bisexual men such as London could also result in positive mental health because these men are less isolated and less discriminated.

The study is the first one to investigate the differences in mental health among gay and bisexual men. It involved the data analysis of 5,799 gay and bisexual men, ages 16 and above, from the Stonewall Gay and Bisexual Men’s Health Survey conducted in the UK.

April Guasp, the Head of Research at Stonewall, adds that the study provides more data about the risks of poor mental health within the LGBT communities. Guasp hopes that this would lead to targeted treatments.

Young Gay and Bisexual Men are 6 Times More Likely to Commit Suicide

Men more likely to get skin cancer urged to use suncreen

Discussions about sun damage and skin cancer often draw up images of young women and tanning beds, but it turns out men are actually more likely to get skin cancer, and less likely to slap on the sunscreen.

The Canadian Cancer Society estimates that 1 in 57 Canadian men is expected to develop melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. In comparison, it says 1 in 74 women is expected to develop the disease.

According to Toronto dermatologist Dr. Sam Hanna, men put on sunscreen half as often as women. Their excuses vary, he said.

“The things I hear from my male patients are they don’t like to put it on, it’s inconvenient, it’s messy,” Hanna told Daybreak Kamloops.

“They may do other things in terms of sun avoidance or sun protection, like wearing long sleeves or hats, which certainly are part of it. But unfortunately, sunscreen is still something we need to figure out how to get men to use because we’re not doing very well in terms of skin cancer rates, and deaths from skin cancer rates specifically.”

Hanna says roughly two-thirds of deaths from melanoma are men. To get men to put on sunscreen, here are some of Hanna’s tricks.

Take baby steps

“I don’t expect somebody who’s not used sunscreen for 65 years to suddenly get up every morning and start putting it on,” Hanna said.

“I’d love that, but I’ll tell them, ‘Fine. Let’s take the next time you go golfing, or the next time you go to the beach.’ Let’s use something like that and just make sure you’re applying appropriately and we can build from there.”

The health argument

“[I tell] somebody who’s health-conscious and eats right and exercises, this is a component of health, and that sometimes has some traction,” Hanna said.

Gather allies

“I’ll often be sneaky and involve their partners in that, and get them to be my people on the inside to bug them a little bit about keeping their sunscreen on,” Hanna said.

Listen to the interview: Men urged to use sunscreen

Men more likely to get skin cancer urged to use suncreen