Among lhb (lesbian, gay, and bi-plus) individuals aged 18 and older, 61 percent deal with anxiety or depression, compared to 42 percent of heterosexual individuals. Sleep problems occur in 33 and 25 percent, respectively, and among lhb individuals, sleep problems also more often hinder daily life. Finally, 24 percent of lhb individuals contact a psychologist, psychiatrist, or psychotherapist, compared to 11 percent of heterosexual individuals.
Among the studied groups, bi-plus individuals generally show the least favorable picture regarding mental health. They more often suffer from anxiety or depression (67 percent) and more frequently contact a mental health care provider (33 percent) than heterosexual and homosexual and lesbian individuals. They also experience sleep problems more often (36 percent) and hindrances in daily life due to this (22 percent).
The group of homosexual and lesbian individuals has approximately the same rate of sleep problems as heterosexual individuals. However, they more often deal with anxiety or depression (55 versus 42 percent) and have relatively frequent contact with a mental health care provider (20 percent).
Homosexual, lesbian, and bi-plus individuals are generally slightly younger than heterosexual individuals, and bi-plus individuals are also relatively often women. The mental health of individuals is also related to their age and gender. Nevertheless, the differences between the groups can only be partially attributed to these characteristics.
