DRUG POLICY MODELLING PROGRAM
MONOGRAPH 23
PREVALENCE OF AND INTERVENTIONS FOR MENTAL HEALTH AND ALCOHOL AND OTHER DRUG PROBLEMS AMONGST THE GAY, LESBIAN, BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENDER COMMUNITY: A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE
Alison Ritter, Francis Matthew-Simmons & Natacha Carragher
National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre
There is a growing body of evidence to suggest that gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) people may be at a higher risk of developing mental health and substance use problems when compared to the heterosexual population. The aim of this report, which was commissioned by the New South Wales Health Ministry’s Mental Health Drug and Alcohol Office, was to identify and synthesize the existing research evidence related to the prevalence of psychological disorders and problematic drug use (illicit and licit) within GLBT populations.
A number of surveys have attempted to measure the size of the GLBT population in Australia. The Australian Study of Health and Relationships conducted in 2001/02 surveyed a representative sample of 19,307 Australians. Within this sample, 1.6% of men identified as gay, and 0.9% identified as bisexual. 0.8% of women identified as gay, and 1.4% identified as bisexual.
