Abstract
This chapter will present an overview of mental health in sexual minorities with a particular focus on a UK context. Firstly, it will present prevalence of mental health in sexual minorities, and along with a brief consideration of causal pathways in an attempt to understand the context of this observed disparity, it will then go on to discuss data collection, sampling and research quality issues and will finish with providing some recommendations for interventions. In focusing on prevalence, it will start with a consideration of the complexities of sexual orientation identity (SOI) measurement, the categorising of sexual orientation identities and issues around sexual minority mental health (SMMH) data capture.
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Notes
- 1.
Common mental disorder (CMD) is defined by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (2011). Common Mental Disorders: Full Guideline. London, NICE and is a technical classification for six common mental health diagnoses. These include Mixed Anxiety and Depression, Generalised Anxiety Disorder, Depression, Phobias, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and Panic Disorder.
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Semlyen, J. (2023). Sexual Minority Mental Health: Measurement, Prevalence, and Treatment. In: Semlyen, J., Rohleder, P. (eds) Sexual Minorities and Mental Health. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-37438-8_2
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