Lifetime Prevalence of Mental Disorders and Suicide Attempts in Diverse Lesbian, gay, and Bisexual Populations

The authors assessed the prevalence of psychiatric disorders in 388 lesbian, gay, & bisexual black, Latino, & white individuals, age 18 to 59 years, who were residents of New York City. Black lesbians, gay men, & bisexual individuals had lower prevalence of all disorders than did Latino & white individuals. Younger respondents had fewer serious suicide attempts than did older respondents, but this was statistically significant only for the middle age group. Black & Latino lesbians, gay men, & bisexual individuals reported a greater number of serious suicide attempts than did white respondents. The suicide attempts occurred at a median age of 17.5 years. (19 refs.)