在过去的三年中，the Trevor Project这是一家非营利组织，致力于LGBTQ青年的自杀预防，并根据大规模调查发布了有关社区心理健康的报告。今年，这一消息是可怕的：在COVID-19大流行期间，很大一部分LGBTQ青年被认为是自杀。
This year’s installment还包括该调查最多样化的受访者，包括有色人种和非二进制人群的代表性数量，并且发现这些群体尤其是自杀的沉思相对较高。虽然调查中有12％的白人自杀，但拉丁人的比率为18％，黑人为21％，土著人民为31％（45％的受访者是有色人种的年轻人）。
While rates as a whole aren’t higher than in past years, the report found that other mental health factors, such as depression, have likely been exacerbated by COVID-19, due to the impact of pandemic-induced living situations that aren’t conducive to well-being. It also makes recommendations as to how they can feel more protected by the people in their lives.
总体而言，在2020年10月至12020年12月之间进行调查的35,000人中，有42％的人表示，他们在过去一年中认真考虑自杀。特别是，有52％的跨性别受访者和非二进制受访者正在考虑自杀。That group made up 38% of the survey sample, the highest figure in the report’s history, because they’re a “group that has had a rough 2020 in terms of rights and discrimination,” says Amy Green, VP of research for the Trevor Project, referring to the surge in反交易账单在美国各州
It’s been最近记录了那研究人员发现那suicides actually dropped during the pandemic, by about 5% nationally in 2020 versus 2019, a surprising discovery given the perilous stressors of COVID-19 and its economic consequences. Trevor also didn’t find a significant jump compared with past years. (The Trevor Project doesn’t collect data on actual suicides; rather, it tracks contemplation and attempts, because national government data doesn’t break down suicide deaths by sexual orientation or gender identity.) But, after further speculation,研究人员发现，虽然自杀可能在白人中有所下降，但他们可能在少数民族中增加了。格林说，在LGBTQ社区中，这种趋势也是如此。“我们在这里的数据中看到了这一点。”
Even if it’s not reflected in suicide-related data, Green says the pandemic clearly had an effect on the mental health of LGBTQ people, many of whom lost vital social and school support systems and were instead crammed into households where they may not have felt accepted for who they are. Eighty percent of respondents said COVID-19 had made their living situation more stressful. Only one in three said they served lockdowns in a place that acknowledged and respected their sexual orientation or gender identity. “Most of them are in a home that isn’t affirming their identity,” Green says, “and we know that affirmation plays a big role in suicide risk.”
该调查询问了有关COVID-19的其他问题，这些问题影响了包括抑郁症在内的更广泛人口的问题，其中62％的症状。这一事实使这一事实更加复杂：几乎一半的人说，他们在需要时无法获得咨询，这主要是由于医疗保健访问和担心提供者没有能力为LGBTQ社区服务。格林说：“我们的心理保健系统没有大量的提供者可以访问并能够以确认其身份的方式对待LGBTQ青年。”
The survey was conducted around the time of the 2020 election, and 94% of respondents said their mental health had been negatively impacted by the political discourse, a higher number than in past years (though this was the first year the polling was done during a major presidential election), reflecting how young people, many not yet of voting age, feel that adverse policy decisions trickle down to them. Trevor intends this report to be used to influence decisions by policymakers, as it has in the past, when the group has used it to advocate particularly for the abolition of conversion therapy and against bills that discriminate against trans people.
受访者还列出了给他们带来欢乐和力量的事物，包括音乐和戏剧，在公共场合看到彩虹旗和贴纸，观看其他人以LGBTQ感到自豪，并在YouTube和Tiktok上观看像他们这样的人。但是，格林说，受到最大保护的方式是让家庭和亲人圈子成为他们生活中的支持力量，通过接受代词并重申对自己的人的爱。在过去的研究中，他们发现至少一个接受成年人的青年自杀的可能性降低了40％。通常，这是最简单的手势。她说：“人们不必成为专家即可成为倡导者和支持者。”“其中的一部分只是在倾听，同理心以及了解这些身份。”
如果您或您认识的人有自杀念头，contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK or text “HOME” to 741-741 to reach the Crisis Text Line.