LGBTQA+ Mental Health and Suicidality: New South Wales Briefing Paper

Suicidality and mental ill-health are serious concerns that impact all parts of the population in Australia, although some are disproportionately affected. LGBTQA+ people are recognised in numerous Commonwealth, State and Territory mental health and suicide prevention strategies or action plans.

However, LGBTQA+ people continue to face barriers to accessing affirming healthcare and, to-date, limited comprehensive data exists on the mental health and healthcare experiences of LGBTQA+ people. This briefing paper outlines findings from three major surveys of LGBTQA+ people and aims to:

1. Highlight the extent and nature of mental ill-health and suicidality among LGBTQA+ young people and adults in New South Wales (NSW).
2. Explore the factors that can put people at greater risk of suicide or mental ill-health, as well as those that reduce their risk of suicide.
3. Examine mental health service engagement and preferences among LGBTQA+ people in NSW.
4. Draw comparisons between experience of LGBTQA+ people in NSW compared to other jurisdictions in Australia, and where possible, comparisons between LGBTQA+ people in NSW to the general population using the latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS; 2022-2022).