connect 2017 • 43 Why Are Mental Health Services Vital for LGBT Youth in Ireland? • Levels of severe/extremely severe stress, anxiety and depression were 4 times higher among 14-18 year old LGBT teens in comparison to a similar age group (12-19 year) in the My World national youth mental health study* • Self-harm was 2 times higher among 19-25 year old LGBT people in comparison to a similar age group (17-25) in the My World national youth mental health study • 60% of LGBT people had seriously thought of ending their own life • 1 in 3 LGBT 14-18 year olds had attempted suicide * Figures cited are from The LGBTIreland Report - a national study of the mental health and wellbeing of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and in- tersex people in Ireland. The study, which gathered data from thousands of people, is the largest study of LGBT people in Ireland to date, the largest study of transgender people, and the first study with a sample of intersex people. The My World national youth mental health study was a separate study done in 2012 with Irish young people aged 12-25 and is cited for comparative purposes. “We have the chance to make this country the best in the world for LGBTI citizens. It will not happen by chance but by change. We committed to that change last May and now we have to follow through, drilling down through the centuries of sediment, to the heart’s core, releasing the goodness, decency and egalitar- ian sensibility that Ireland is capable of. The children who are in cots and buggies today, who will discover their sexual identity in twelve or so years time have the right, to grow into mentally healthy and well-adjusted teenagers. What we do now can help ensure that no bully and no homophobic, biphobic or transphobic culture will too easily deprive them of that right”. — Dr Mary McAleese, Former President of Ireland, speaking at the launch of the LGBTIreland Report, March 2016