The International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Interphobia, and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT) is celebrated on May 17th each year. BegiNning in 1990, the date was chosen to mark the removal of homosexuality as a disorder from the World Health Organisations ‘Classification of diseases and related problems’.
According to the IDAHOBIT website, the day has two main purposes:
To celebrate the pride and allyship of the people who work to build equality around the world, and
To raise awareness of the discrimination LGBTQIA+ people continue to face today
LGBTIQA+ people experience higher rates of mental health challenges than the general population. The Private Lives 3 report found a greater prevalence of psychological distress, anxiety, and depression among all groups within the Australian LGBTIQA+ community, with transgender and bisexual+ people particularly at risk.
What causes this higher prevalence of psychological distress?
LGBTIQA+ people are more likely to experience prejudice and discrimination than the general population. Over time repeated exposure to negative attitudes and distressing situations can start to affect the physical and mental health of minority groups – a process known as minority stress. Minority stress can make it harder to engage in health promoting behaviours and can lead to increased drinking, drug use, and attempts to control eating or body weight/shape as coping strategies.
A growing body of research points to higher rates of disordered eating and eating disorders among the LGBTIQA+ community, particularly trans and gender diverse people. While there are many common eating disorder risk factors minority stress certainly plays a part as well as the pressure that some LGBTIQA+ people feel to fit in with rigid body standards and gender norms to feel accepted and avoid discrimination.
Discrimination can sometimes occur when people are attempting to access healthcare services, and this can lead to LGBTIQA+ people being reluctant about reaching out for help. At Mind Body Well we are committed to providing safe and accessible healthcare to people from LGBTIQA+ communities.
We also recommend the following services for LGBTIQA+ Victorians seeking additional support for mental health concerns:
QLife - provides free daily peer support from trained members of the LGBTIQA+ community Australia wide via anonymous phone and webchat
Rainbow Door - a free helpline providing information, support, and referrals for LGBTIQA+ Victorians
Eating Disorders Victoria BLOOM support group - BLOOM is a fortnightly group run by Eating Disorders Victoria for LGBTIQA+ people with eating disorders
More information about IDAHOBIT can be found on the IDAHOBIT website.
