Mental health
KEY FIGURES
Influence on one’s own life
41 % of transgender persons ...
52 % of homosexuals and bisexuals ...
59-60 % of heterosexuals/cisgender persons ...
... strongly believe they have influence on their own lives.
Source: Greve et al. (2022)
Loneliness
29 % of LGBT+ persons aged 16-24 years...
13 % of persons aged 16-24 years in the rest of the population ...
... feel alone, lonely and excluded.
Source: Danish Institute for Human Rights’ own calculations based on SHILD (2020).
Suicide thoughts
2 times as many homosexuals ...
2-3 times as many bisexuals ...
3-4 times as many transgender and nonbinary persons ...
... have thought about taking their own life compared to the rest of the population.
Source: Frisch et al. (2019).
- A lot of homosexual men and especially homosexual women report a high level of mental well-being, as they strongly believe they have influence on their own life.
- Bisexuals, transgender and nonbinary persons experience to a lesser extent having influence on their own lives
- Almost one in three LGBT+ youth report feeling lonely and excluded. The difference between LGBT+ persons and the rest of the population gets smaller with age. There is no data for the mental well-being of senior citizens (aged 64 years or more).
- There is a greater tendency to suicide thoughts throughout the LGBT+ community, especially among bisexual women and transgender and nonbinary persons. Moreover, research shows that transgender persons in Denmark attempt suicide eight times as often as the rest of the population.
Editing was completed September 2023
The extent to which people feel they have influence on their own life can say something about their overall well-being or satisfaction with life. Generally seen, homosexual women and men strongly feel they have influence on their own life. This does not apply to bisexuals and transgender persons, though. A worryingly few transgender women, around one in three, strongly feel they have influence on their own life – compared to two in three cisgender persons.
A lot of factors affect the extent to which people believe they have an influence on their own lives. Both their mental and physical health and life situation in general, including education, job and social network, can affect the extent to which they believe they have an influence on their own life.
Having influence on one’s own life
“When I was young, I felt lonely because I didn’t have anyone to take example from. Not having anyone to talk to leads to loneliness and anxiety, which has a negative effect on your mental health. So, reach out!”
- Maria (LGBT+-person)
Loneliness is widespread in Denmark and may have both mental and physical consequences for those who experience loneliness. Loneliness is often triggered by transitions in life, for example the transition to higher education or a new job, or the loss of loved ones. A temporary feeling of loneliness is part of being human, but long-term loneliness and isolation can have both mental and physical consequences for those who experience loneliness.
29 % of LGBT+ persons aged 16-34 years often experience loneliness or social isolation. This is almost one in three and twice as many as in the remaining population. Especially transgender, nonbinary and bisexual persons score high on the loneliness scale.
Loneliness can be the result of exclusion or lack of access to communities at work, in school or elsewhere. For instance, fewer LGBT+ persons participate in association sports, and one in five LGBTI+ persons do not feel included in the social aspect of sports communities. Read more under “Social engagement and associational activities”. Furthermore, negative experiences with being open about their gender identity or sexual orientation may cause LGBT+ persons to keep their sexual orientation or gender identity a secret, and this may intensify their feeling of isolation.
Surveys suggest that intersex persons in particular experience a high degree of loneliness and often struggle with harassment and bullying in school and at work based on their gender, body or appearance.
Associations such as LGBT+ Denmark, SABAAH and LGBT ASYLUM seek to prevent loneliness through social activities, groups and communities by and for LGBT+ persons. Find social LGBT+ activities in the LGBT+ Denmark Map.
Are you a young LGBT+ person below the age of 18 looking to make new friends?
Aura is for young LGBT+ persons below the age of 18 looking to network with other young people who do not belong in traditional gender and/or sexual orientation categories. You can find Aura throughout the country. Read more on the Aura website.
Loneliness
“You try to forget these taunts and assaults. I was constantly afraid that people would hurt me. I started to ‘turn down’ my personality, to make myself invisible. With the help of others, I have found a way back to myself.”
- Frederik (LGBT+-person)
In Denmark, more and more people experience anxiety and poor mental health, not least among young people. This includes a relatively large share of LGBT+ persons. For instance, the share of LGBT+ persons who have been on medication for mental health disorders is approximately twice as high as in the rest of the population.
Make an anonymous call to the Psychiatric Foundation Hotline at +45 3925 2525 or the Lifeline Denmark Hotline at +45 7020 1201. They are ready to talk with you.
For some, poor mental health can lead to suicide thoughts. It is a common reaction in people who have been under a lot of stress or suffer from an untreated mental condition, but it can also be a result of loneliness, depression or low self-esteem. People who think about taking their own life, do not necessarily want to die; it can be a cry for help and express a wish to change a mental condition or situation.
Suicide thoughts are frequently occurring in the LGBT+ community, where one in two to three in four have thought about taking their own life. This is especially pronounced among bisexual women and transgender and nonbinary persons.
Research based on data for the entire Danish population shows that transgender persons eight times as often as the rest of the population attempt suicide and 3.5 times as often die from suicide. The severity of this problem is intensified by the fact that some transgender individuals refrain from seeking treatment, due to potential implications for medical referrals and assessment in relation to receiving gender affirmative care.
A 2022 survey conducted by Als Research suggests that minority ethnic LGBT+ persons in particular struggle with poor mental health. As many as 21 % of LGBT+ persons with minority ethnic background report having attempted suicide within the past year. The same applies to 15 % of the total LGBT+ community. This may be due to threats or violence by family members or social control intended to “correct” their sexual orientation or gender identity.
There are many reasons why LGBT+ persons experience poorer mental health. One is lifestyle factors such as exercise, increased use of alcohol and drugs and lack of social relations. Another is stigmatisation and exposure to discrimination and hatred.
In other words, people who break with sexuality and gender identity norms are often under a lot of psychological strain. It may be a result of homophobic or transphobic bullying or hatred in childhood or youth, harsh comments on e.g. social media or the inability to live the life one desires, e.g. because one has to wait for or is denied gender affirmation treatment (for transgender persons), or because one has to change their behaviour in fear of assault or harassment, or because one is not considered the legal parent of their child. All of these factors may affect the self-esteem and mental health of LGBT+ individuals and can lead to increased stress associated with not being part of the majority in society, so-called minority stress.
Minority stress is when the mental health of a person belonging to a minority is negatively affected by the indirect as well as direct experiences with social norms and structures.
In other words, minority stress is when people belonging to a minority experience increased stress or a state of alertness due to discrimination, violence and prejudice (or fear hereof) in society.
Suicidal thoughts
- Greve, J., Østergaard, S. V., Andersen, M. & Thomsen, M. K. (2022). Kortlægning af homo- og biseksuelles samt transpersoners levevilkår og samfundsdeltagelse. VIVE - Det Nationale Forsknings- og Analysecenter for Velfærd.
- Frisch, M., Moseholm, E., Andersson, M., Andresen, J. B. & Graugaard, C. (2019). Sex i Danmark - Nøgletal fra Projekt SEXUS 2017-2018. Statens Serum Institut & Aalborg Universitet.
- Følner, B., Goor, A. H. & Bjerregaard, A. H. (2022). Nydanske LGBT+-personers levevilkår og støttebehov. Als Research.