Safer Sex

Mental Health

Most of us take our “mental health” for granted. After all, since it’s such a basic, yet unseen, part of who we are, it doesn’t seem to merit a lot of thought compared to everything else going on in our lives or in the world. As people, we tend to spend more time concentrating on our physical health – exercising, loosing weight, eating properly, getting enough sleep, etc, and yet the reality is that our mental health is a major factor in all aspects of each of our lives.

We see it play out in our relationships, in our performance at work or school and in health issues. Today, protecting and strengthening our mental health couldn’t be more important, especially for gay and bisexual men.

Research shows that gay and bisexual men are particularly vulnerable to developing mental health problems due to the homophobia, discrimination and oppression that exists within society. It is not surprising, therefore, that this community is more likely sometimes to self-harm, feel suicidal, experience depression, abuse alcohol/drugs, suffer from anxiety or develop eating disorders.

Being gay or bisexual, however, does not necessarily mean that you will experience poor mental health. It does mean, however, that we need to spend as much time looking after our mental health as we do with our physical health.

When you are mentally healthy you feel good about yourself, enjoy relationships, learn confidently and overcome your difficulties. When you aren't, you may feel overwhelmed by misery, anger or fear.

In this section of our website, you will find a range of articles on being gay/bi and looking after your mental wellbeing.

Related Articles

Self Harm

31 July, 2007 - 20:01

Self harm is when someone deliberately injures themselves. They may cut themselves to draw blood, take too many tablets or bang their head against a wall. A person who self harms rarely does so because they want to die, but instead finds that hurting themselves is a way of coping with painful feelings. The person usually knows that this behaviour is not good for them but they have difficulty finding other ways to cope or express their emotions.

Self Esteem

31 July, 2007 - 19:56

The oppression and negativity shown by society towards gay and bisexual men affects the way we see ourselves and can cause a low or negative self-image and self-esteem. Low self-esteem can lead some men into exploitive relationships, risky sexual behaviour, alcohol and drug abuse, eating disorders and other mental health difficulties. In this article we give you some tips on how to improve your self-esteem.

Surviving a break-up

24 July, 2007 - 20:39

Losing someone you love is one of the worst things that can happen to you - and it’s something you’re almost certain to experience at some point in your life. When it happens, you’ll respond to your loss in your own way. There is no right or wrong way to grieve - but there are ways to make your recovery from grief more complete.

Internalised Homophobia

21 June, 2007 - 16:12

As we grow up we are taught the values of our society. In our homophobic, heterosexist, discriminatory culture, we may learn negative ideas about homosexuality. Like everyone else, gay and bisexual people may be socialised into thinking that being non-heterosexual is somehow “mad”, “bad”, “wrong” or “disgusting”. This can lead to feelings of self-digest and self-hatred. These feelings can lead to “internalised homophobia” also known as “internalised oppression”.

What is Internalised Homophobia?

23 May, 2007 - 11:40

Internalised homophobia is when a LGBT person has learned to accept heterosexuality as the norm and as the correct way to be. Hearing and seeing negative depictions of LGBT often leads LGBT to internalise these negative notions. Some LGBT suffer from mental distress as a result.