The mental health of individuals from the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) community is a serious problem. For most of the history of the United States and many parts of the world, LGBT people have faced widespread persecution and, in some cases, even death. This constant fear of being found out and the pressure we feel on ourselves when we are “in the closet” can lead to major mental distress. Research has shown that people who identify as LGBT are twice as likely to develop mood and anxiety disorders during their lifetime (Bostwick 468). This is extremely visible in recent years in the suicides of adolescents who have been bullied on the basis of their gender identity and expression. The stigma attached to simply being perceived as LGBT is strong enough to cause a person enough mental stress to commit suicide. This is always regrettable, but in the case of young people, it borders on the unthinkable. Older LGBT people also don't tend to fare much better, given that they were raised in generations that were stricter about what was considered appropriate and morally right. All of this being said, even as global culture shifts toward greater acceptance of LGBT people, their mental health is only now a topic that is receiving increased scrutiny. There is very little research that has been done in the past on LGBT mental health. individuals. In 1997, the federal Center for Mental Health Services requested that information be gathered on the subject (Lucksted 3). Most of the information came from small publications, background information, and self-reports, and even that information was incomplete due to low reporting on people in the transgender and bisexual communities. This old report shows what the situation was...... middle of article......i.org/10.1037/a0016441Johnson, L. and Federman, EJ (2014). Training, experience, and attitudes of VA psychologists regarding LGBT issues: Relationship to practice and competence. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, 1(1), 10-18. Retrieved April 21, 2014 from http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/sgd0000019 Kelleher, C. (2009). Stress and minority health: Implications for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth. Counseling Psychology Quarterly, 22(4), 373-379. Retrieved April 21, 2014 from http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09515070903334995 Talbott, J. (2006). Rates and predictors of mental illness in gay, lesbian and bisexual men and women: results from a survey in England and Wales. Yearbook of Psychiatry and Applied Mental Health, 2006, 158. Retrieved April 21, 2014 from http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0084-3970(08)70152-X