Are gay men more prone to depression?

[earllogjam]

?

 

[D_Bob_Crotchitch]

Don't know the answer to that earl. Sorry.

 

[prince_will]

i've heard something about this recently, but i totally forgot where i read it.

apparently, the answer to your question is yes.

 

[D_Bob_Crotchitch]

I'm sorry you are down earl. I'd offer a hug but I don't like to be punched by someone who boxes.

 

[flame boy]

The results are mixed. Some will claim gay people are no more prone to depression than straight people however this report from Gay.com has credible sources and a lot of very interesting things to say (read it here).

To sum it up, there doesn't seem to be a simple yes or no answer. However from what I have read, most of the reports have pointed towards a "yes" answer.

 

[whatireallywant]

My guess on this matter is that gay men are probably not more prone to true clinical depression, but may be more prone to situational depression, especially if they are stuck in a repressive, homophobic community. And the situational depression can last for years and seem like clinical depression in that way, but the causes are different.

 

[TomSchmo]

Well I would say that I'm pretty prone to depression, as it came on for me rather easily and over not terribly significant issues too.
And I'm straight, but i dont know in general if gay men would suffer from depression more easily than straight men.
In my honest opinion, I dont think that gay men would be more prone to depression than straight men, but i'm influenced by my own depression and being straight of course.

 

[Principessa]

Yes, I think it's because of the stress and stigma the heterosexual world puts on them on a daily basis.

For heavens sake until fairly recently homosexuality was considered a mental illness, that's crazy! (Pun intended :tongue:) If someone told me I was mentally ill and needed intensive behavior modification therapy or shock treatment just because of who I loved, I think I might be a little depressed too.

 

[Deno]

If they are not now they will as more get married.

 

[Xcuze]

I think most gay men grow up being secretive & protective of their true self. THis trains them to keep their feelings bottled up inside. Which can make you more prone to depression. Simple answer to a complex issue.

 

[Deno]

there is a lot of truth to that excuze, I think being withdrawn from society in a whole is one big factor in mental health and depression however once it reaches a certain stage more then getting out is needed to break down that wall.

 

[camper joe]

If they are not now they will as more get married.

This was my morning's laugh. Now my depression is better. :wink:

 

[midlifebear]

If we run out of tequila, we can be!

 

[Helboy]

Had a really bad time last year refered to a phyche and put on anti depressants for a couple of months.


Neve had it b4 and dont want it again..I cannot to this day understand how I got there.

 

[MalakingTiti]

Of course not. The every definition of gay is "happy, go lucky".

 

[D_percypenguin]

If we run out of tequila, we can be!

or vodka or beer or a nice glass of wine depending on the person .......

 

[erratic]

The scholarly research is pretty unanimously "Yes." And it starts earlier for queer kids, too. Same thing with anxiety disorders and addictions.

It's not at all surprising. High school is a war zone for homos. Anxiety and depression often leads to self-medicating with substances. Unfortunately, people tend to keep patterns like that for a long time. And then the people who propogate the reason for all this depression in the first place point to it all these depressed homos as a reason the "homosexual lifestyle" is damaging our children.

 

[Industrialsize]

I don't know about depression and gay men in general. But what is alarming is the rate of gay teen suicide!

Gay Teen Suicide

 

[BiItalianBro]

or vodka or beer or a nice glass of wine depending on the person .......

oh yea...that solves everything

I think this is a "chicken or the egg" debate, with the conclusion skewed by the nature of the study and the researchers agenda. Obviously, the Family Research Council wants to present homosexual tendencies as a mental illness linked with depression while the Human Rights Campaign says its a result of social oppression.

The tragedy in all this, is that allot of people suffer while the 'experts' try and validate their own conclusions with ideological arguments. I do believe that the 'gay culture' has a huge bias towards ageism, body image and stereotyping and that sure as hell does not help.

 

[NCbear]

You know, being gay doesn't necessarily lead to depression in some "x leads to y" way. Some people seem to be the type who deflect criticism like water off a duck's back. It might be a matter of personality or of being secure in your own identity. Or knowing that no matter what others think, you've got your own posse of friends and family who love you, and whose love for you won't change.

Also, depression can be completely disconnected from your sexuality. If you come from a dysfunctional family (both immediate and extended), as I do/did, the issues inherent in daily confrontations with a homophobic and heterosexist culture--constant assumptions strangers make that I've got a girlfriend, etc.--pale in comparison to the issues inherent in coming from that sort of upbringing. Read the book Growing Up Gay in a Dysfunctional Family.

:tongue: Humorous aside: one of my straight brothers' ex-girlfriends bought that book for me when I was in college and my parents were still adjusting to the fact that their youngest son was/is queer. She gave it to me at Christmas. You can probably imagine what I said--"It's what I've always wanted. Look, Mom, Dad: It even applies to me!" [I was a sarcastic bitchy late adolescent for far too long.] :redface:

I deal with depression on a daily basis--it's like a lantern luring a moth to the flame. I don't know why it's so powerful, or so much a part of my life. I just know I have to turn my mind to something else or I'll begin wallowing in the feeling.

NCbear (who usually reads a book, watches a movie, or goes for some exercise when this happens)

P.S. Yes, as other posters have noted, depression and other related mental illnesses have long been known to be more prevalent among gay and bi people. What is not known is the cause: I tend to believe that the tremendously heavy societal pressure to be (or at least appear) heterosexual is the main culprit.