Ireland : ‘Coming out’ still major LGBT fear
Mental health is the most frequent cause of concern for people calling a helpline for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people, according to its co-ordinator.
Paula Fagan who manages the LGBT national helpline (Ireland), said fear of “coming out” as well as negative reactions from family, friends or colleagues were among the most common sources of distress.
“People contacted us with a wide variety of mental health issues last year. In some cases callers got in touch because their fear of coming out was causing them anxiety.”
“In other cases it was to speak about the impact on their mental health of homophobia. Isolation, harassment and bullying were also commonly cited by callers.”
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