Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2016 Dec:206:87-93.
doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2016.07.003. Epub 2016 Jul 15.

Sexual orientation and treatment-seeking for depression in a multilingual worldwide sample

Tara M Rutter  1 , Annesa Flentje  1 , James W Dilley  2 , Suzanne Barakat  1 , Nancy H Liu  3 , Margaret S Gross  1 , Ricardo F Muñoz  4 , Yan Leykin  5
Affiliations

Sexual orientation and treatment-seeking for depression in a multilingual worldwide sample

Tara M Rutter et al. J Affect Disord. 2016 Dec.

Abstract

Background: Prior research has found higher rates of mental health problems among sexual minority individuals. We examine treatment-seeking for depression, as well as its relationship with sexual orientation, in a large, multilingual, international sample.

Method: Participants in an automated, quintilingual internet-based depression screening tool were screened for depression, and completed several background measures, including sexual orientation (with an option to decline to state) and past and current depression treatment seeking.

Results: 3695 participants screened positive for current or past depression and responded to the sexual orientation question. Those who declined to state their sexual orientation were far less likely to seek any treatment than individuals endorsing any orientation; they were especially unlikely to seek psychotherapy. Individuals identifying as bisexual sought both psychotherapy and alternative treatments at a higher rate than other groups. An interaction was observed between sexual orientation and gender, such that lesbian women were especially likely to have used psychotherapy. Other variables that emerged as significant predictors of treatment-seeking for depression included age and participant's language.

Limitations: Limitations include possible misinterpretation of translated terms due to regional differences, and possible limits to generalizability due to this study being conducted on the internet.

Conclusions: Our results suggest that individuals who decline to state their sexual orientation may be more likely to forgo effective treatments for depression. Further studies of depression service utilization should focus on developing treatment modalities that could better engage sexual minority individuals, especially those who are reluctant to disclose their orientation.

Keywords: Antidepressant; Depression; LGBT; Psychotherapy; Service use; Sexual minority.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

None

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Reported psychotherapy use, by sexual orientation and gender.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. 4th., Text Rev. Washington, DC: Author; 2000.
    1. Barney LJ, Griffiths KM, Jorm AF, Christensen H. Stigma about depression and its impact on help-seeking intentions. The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry. 2006;40(1):51–54. http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1440-1614.2006.01741.x. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Bauer PM, Bschor T, Pfennig A, Whybrow PC, Angst J, Versiani M, et al. World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry (WFSBP) Guidelines for Biological Treatment of Unipolar Depressive Disorders in Primary Care. The World Journal of Biological Psychiatry. 2007;8(2):67–104. http://doi.org/10.1080/15622970701227829. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Carroll A, Itaborahy LP for the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association. State Sponsored Homophobia 2015: A world survey of laws: criminalisation, protection and recognition of same-sex love. Geneva: ILGA; 2015.
    1. Chakraborty A, McManus S, Brugha TS, Bebbington P, King M. Mental health of the non-heterosexual population of England. The British Journal of Psychiatry: The Journal of Mental Science. 2011;198(2):143–148. http://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.bp.110.082271. - DOI - PubMed