By Nicole Martin, MS LPC
As I prepared to write for this column, I reviewed some previous articles written by such knowledgeable and actively caring women as Stacey Long and researcher Tonda Hughes, and I noticed a trend. We have so many questions regarding lesbian health in general and about specific issues. Sometimes we're not even sure if something is an "issue."
What makes an issue an issue? Within the community, it seems anecdotally; several health issues can be pinpointed and agreed upon. When talking with others about gathering data in hopes of beginning a study on depression in the LGBT community, I more often than not hear "I'll sign up for that study!" So, anecdotally, depression appears to be issue, although research to date has not been able to confirm this, especially for lesbians. Without confirmation through research, funding for programs and/or treatment interventions for lesbians suffering from depression and related problems will be hard to increase.
Presently, studies seem to give conflicting conclusions about the rates at which lesbians suffer from depression compared to the general population. A study in Massachusetts, published in the AMA's Archives of General Psychiatry, found single and divorced women suffer more from clinical depression compared to married women ( Harlow, 1999 as cited in the Washington Blade ) . However, the researchers did not specifically mention lesbians or bisexual women. Another study published in Psychological Science ( Rothman and Factor 2002 ) , reported that lesbian and bisexual women are as mentally healthy as their heterosexual sisters and have higher self-esteem. These conflicting and unclear findings combined with the lack of research studies that specifically include lesbians and bisexual women make defining and understanding lesbian health issues difficult. So, the more LGBT sensitive research the better.
I look forward to the day when we can cite many studies by our colleagues and fellow members of the LGBT communities to support each other in justifying and implementing further studies, treatments and services for LGBT communities .
But, what if we aren't researchers? We can have a voice in defining LGBT health issues by participating in LGBT research. In Chicago, we are lucky to have LGBT researchers doing important studies about a variety of health issues affecting our community. When we participate in studies conducted by researchers like Tonda Hughes, David McKirnan, Alicia Matthews and other LGBT researchers, we are facilitating a more comprehensive understanding of the issues affecting the lives of LGBT people. This information can assist community organizations in designing programs and targeting unmet needs. In addition, this information can be used to dialog with other public health entities regarding health issues affecting LGBT people.
In an effort to gather data that can lead to further research for the issue of depression, Howard Brown Health Center has developed a brief questionnaire that will be available at various programs in the coming months. Data from the survey will be analyzed to help understand the relationship between depression and substance use in the LGBT communities. It is crucial that the experiences of lesbian and bisexual women are well represented in this survey. So, if you are approached with surveys, here at Howard Brown Health Center or elsewhere, please take a moment to give information that can help provide services for our community.
Nicole Martin, MS LPC is the Clinical Counseling Specialist in the Department of Research at Howard Brown Health Center.
Mental Health Services Research Program, 104 S. Michigan, #900, Chicago, IL 60603
Register now for our FREE LIVE WEBCAST: Using the Internet to Promote Self-Determination & Emotional Well-Being Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2002, 2-4:30 www.psych.uic.edu/uicnrtc/sdworkshop3.htm