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The Role of Help‐Seeking in Preventing Suicide Attempts among Lesbians, Gay Men, and Bisexuals
Author(s) -
Meyer Ilan H.,
Teylan Merilee,
Schwartz Sharon
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
suicide and life‐threatening behavior
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.544
H-Index - 90
eISSN - 1943-278X
pISSN - 0363-0234
DOI - 10.1111/sltb.12104
Subject(s) - lesbian , odds , mental health , psychology , suicide prevention , odds ratio , psychiatry , clinical psychology , poison control , medicine , logistic regression , medical emergency , pathology , psychoanalysis
One possible approach to prevention of suicide attempts is to encourage help‐seeking among individuals at risk. We assessed whether different forms of treatment were associated with lower odds of a suicide attempt in a diverse group of 388 lesbian, gay, and bisexual ( LGB ) adults aged 18–59, sampled from New York City venues. Of individuals who attempted suicide, 23% sought mental health or medical treatment and 14% sought religious or spiritual treatment prior to the suicide attempt. Black and Latino LGB s were underrepresented in mental health or medical treatment and Black LGB s were overrepresented in religious or spiritual treatment. Seeking mental health or medical treatment was not associated with lower odds of a suicide attempt; seeking religious or spiritual treatment was associated with higher odds of a suicide attempt. We discuss these results and posit hypotheses for further research of this understudied topic.