A report to be published today has found a very high uptake of mental health and emotional support services by gay, lesbian and bisexual people.
The report also found that almost half of the lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) people surveyed had not revealed their sexuality to their GPs or practice nurses during the previous 10 years.
Recognising LGB Sexual Identities in Health Services was commissioned by the HSE and the Equality Authority and involved detailed interviews with 43 people in the northwest.
It found that 26 participants had attended services seeking mental health or emotional support in the previous 10 years. One-third spontaneously brought up the issue of suicide.
One man had attempted suicide twice and another said he had seriously considered it in the previous 10 years.
"Things weren't going right and I felt wasted and I felt that I should pull the plug if I could," one man said. Another said the last three funerals he attended were suicides.
The report said sexual identity was not a cause of mental health or emotional difficulties. "Rather, it has been shown that the link between higher rates of mental health problems and being lesbian, gay or bisexual is due to a lack of acceptance of LGB sexuality, fears about or experience of negative reactions and discrimination due to LGB sexuality and isolation from social support networks that have been shown to be protective of health."
The report found that lesbian, gay or bisexual people in the northwest, as with their counterparts elsewhere, experienced "a wide range of condemnatory and discriminatory practices" in their everyday lives.
"One man reported that he had twice been physically assaulted in homophobic attacks, and several others referred to known occasions when such attacks happened to others. Many, particularly male respondents, observed that living in rural areas raised greater fears of condemnation and possible assault."
Telling GPs about their sexual orientation emerged as a major worry for those surveyed. However, in the vast majority of cases where GPs were told, they responded in a positive manner.
Just seven negative reactions were reported by interviewees. Negative reactions included signs of discomfort from the GP, an automatic association of lesbian, gay and bisexual sexuality with HIV status or sexually transmitted diseases and an over-focus on sexuality issues.
"In some cases the service provider was described as becoming markedly unfriendly and 'abrupt' following disclosure of LGB sexual identity," the report said.
Concern was also raised about the recognition of same-sex partners in healthcare settings. "At times of sickness and vulnerability when the best possible treatment and support from healthcare providers is required, LGB people can be further exposed and forced to make stressful choices over disclosure of their sexual orientation."
Equality Authority chief executive Niall Crowley called on the HSE to work in partnership with the lesbian, gay and bisexual community and to deal with issues for same-sex partners and next-of-kin in healthcare settings.
