>> PARIS, WE TOSS IT BACK TO
YOU.
>> THANKS.
APPROXIMATELY ONE IN THREE HIGH
SCHOOL STUDENTS EXPERIENCED POOR
MENTAL HEALTH DURING THE
COVID-19 PANDEMIC.
AND THE PREF LENT LENS OF MORE
MENTAL HEALTH WAS THE HIGH EAST
MUNG LGBTQ STUDENTS.
ON TOP OF COVID RELATED
STRESSORS, ANTI-LGBTQ LAWS ARE
TAKING A TOLL ON YOUNG PEOPLE'S
MENTAL HEALTH.
AND JOINING US WITH MORE ARE
LOWELL LOWELL OWNER OF FIGURE
TREE COUNSELING AND IGGY LADDEN
THE FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR OF THE
CHICAGO THERAPY COLLECTIVE.
WELCOME TO "CHICAGO TONIGHT."
I WANT TO LOOK AT GRAPHICS FROM
THE C.D.C.
ACCORDING TO THAT AGENCY, 5% OF
HETEROSEXUAL STUDENTS ATTEMPTED
SUICIDE COMPARED TO 26% FOR GAY,
LESBIAN AND BISEXUAL STUDENTS
AND OTHERS 16.5% ATTEMPTING
SUICIDE.
IGGY LADDEN WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF
THIS DATA?
>> IT'S REALLY SCARY AND SAD TO
HEAR ABOUT WHAT IS GOING ON NOT
JUST FOR LGBTQ YOUTH BUT YOUTH
ACROSS THE BOARD ARE REPORTING
INCREASES IN SUICIDAL THOUGHTS.
20% OF NON-LGBTQ YOUTH ARE
SERIOUSLY CONTEMPLATING SUICIDE
AND 44% OF LGBTQ YOUTH ARE
REPORTING SERIOUS THOUGHTS OF
SUICIDE, ANXIETY, DEPRESSION,
CON PLEX PTSD ARE OVERWHELMING
HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS ESPECIALLY
LGBTQ YOUTH AT THIS TIME.
>> SHOCKING NUMBERS.
AND LOWELL LOWELL TALK ABOUT THE
IMPACT OF THE LOLA WANG TALK
ABOUT THE IMPACT ON THE YOUTH
AND ALSO LGBTQ YOUTH OF COLOR
HOW IT'S IMPACTING ALL THOSE
COMMUNITIES?
>> LGBTQ YOUTH OF COLOR THEY
FACE UNIQUE STRESSORS.
IN THE PAST TWO YEARS WE'VE SEEN
HATE CRIMES AGAINST ASIAN AND
BLACK PEOPLE GROW SHARPLY IN THE
U.S.
WITH OUR CLIENTS DIRECT CLINICAL
WORK WE SEE THAT BLACK LGBTQ
CLIENTS ESPECIALLY YOUTH THEY
ARE MORE LIKELY TO ASSOCIATE
RACISM AND ACCOUNT VIOLENCE AS A
MAJOR STRESS WHILE THEIR WHITE
PEERS ARE MORE LIKELY TO SAY
TRANSPHOBIA OR ANTI-LGBTQ HATE
CRIME AND THE OTHER EXAMPLE
ASIAN-AMERICANS ARE MORE LIKELY
TO USE MENTAL HEALTH YOUTH
SERVICES WHICH RESULTED IN YOUTH
THAT DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO
ACOUNSELING SERVICE.
WE ALSO NEED TO CONSIDER THE NEW
ANSWERS OF INTERSECTIONIAL LIKE
A YOUTH OF COLOR WITH
UNDOCUMENTED FAMILY STRUGGLES
WITH STABILITY THEY MAY FACE
DIFFERENT SITUATIONS COMPARED TO
THEIR WHITE MIDDLE CLASS PEERS.
AND THESE ARE ALL THE FACTORS
AFFECTING THEIR MENTAL HEALTH.
SOMETIMES SUPPORT SYSTEM AND
ACCESS TO MENTAL HEALTH.
WE ALSO NEED TO CONSIDER THE
RACISM WITHIN THE LGBTQ
COMMUNITY.
WHEN WE ARE TALKING WITH A YOUTH
OF COLOR, AND THEY ARE TRYING TO
COME OUT, THE NARRATIVE MIGHT BE
DIFFERENT FROM THEIR WHITE
PEERS.
YOU MENTIONED ACROSS THE BOARD,
SUICIDE RATES AND THOSE THINK
BEING SUICIDE HAVE GONE UP.
IS IT JUST THE ISOLATION OF THE
PANDEMIC?
THE STRESS?
SOCIAL MEDIA?
ALL OF THOSE THINGS?
>> I SAY ALL OF THE ABOVE.
SOCIAL ISOLATION MIGHT BE
HIGHEST IN TERMS OF COVID
RELATED FACTORS THAT REALLY HAS
IMPACTED YOUTH ACROSS THE BOARD.
AND RESEARCH HAS FOUND THAT THE
MORE SOCIALLY CONNECTED YOUTH
ARE IN GENERAL, LGBTQ YOUTH ARE
IN GENERAL THE MORE RESILIENT
THEY ARE IN THE FACE OF ALL OF
THE STRESS FACTORS.
ADD TO THAT FOR THE LGBTQ
COMMUNITY AND THE TRANSCOMMUNITY
AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS OF COLOR
ARE POLITICAL CLIMATE.
AND YOU HAVE AN OVERWHELMING
AMOUNT OF STRESS THAT WE'RE
PLACING ON LGBTQ YOUTH AND LGBTQ
YOUTH OF COLOR.
THE TREVOR PROJECT FOUND THAT
95% OF SURVEYED LGBTQ YOUTH
FOUND THAT LISTENING TO
POLITICAL DEBATE IN THIS TIME
WAS HURTING THEIR MENTAL HEALTH.
>> SPEAKING OF THAT POLITICAL --
SPEAKING OF THAT POLITICAL
ENVIRONMENT, LOLA WANG WE
MENTIONED THE BILLS THAT ARE
BEING CONSIDERED OR PASSED IN
STATES TARGETING TRANSYOUTH AND
GENDER AFFIRMING CARE WHAT IS
THE IMPACT ON TRANSYOUTH OF
THESE BILLS?
>> FIRST OF ALL THERE ARE
BARRIERS SETUP.
FOR EXAMPLE, A LOT OF YOUTH
DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO
TRANSAFFIRMING CARE WHICH IS NOT
JUST TRANSAFFIRMING IT IS
LIFE-SAVING CARE.
IN ADDITION TO THAT SOME BILLS
ALSO PREVENTED YOUTH USE COPING
SKILLS.
FOR SOME YOUTH THEY LIKE TO PLAY
SPORTS AND THERE ARE BILLS FOR
THEM TO PLAY SPORTS BECAUSE OF
THEIR GENDER IDENTITY.
AND FOR YOUTH THEY ARE SUBJECTED
TO EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT WHEN YOU
ARE SEEING THE BILLS NOT ONLY
FOR LGBTQ YOUTH IT'S FOR THEIR
FRIENDS FOR THEIR TEACHERS.
SO THAT COULD POTENTIALLY CAUSE
MORE BULLYING.
AND INTERMLY, WE ARE ALL COPING
WITH THE RECORD CHANGING
PANDEMIC WORLD WHICH IS A LOT OF
INSECURITIES AND CHANGES AND ALL
OF US OUR MENTAL HEALTH IS
FRAGILE.
FOR LGBTQ YOUTH THAT IS WORSE
BECAUSE FOR THEM THEY ARE NO
LONGER IN A SAFE ENVIRONMENT.
THERE WAS NEVER A SAFE
ENVIRONMENT AND NOW WE'RE SEEING
IT'S GETTING WORSE.
AND WE'RE WORKING WITH CLIENTS
STRUGGLING WITH FEAR AND ANXIETY
WE ASK IS THIS FEAR JUSTIFIED?
UNFORTUNATELY, DURING THE PAST
YEAR WE'VE SEEN A LOT OF THAT IS
INDEED, JUSTIFIED AND A LOT OF
THE WORK WE'RE DOING IS TRYING
TO ASSESS THINGS AND THEN TRYING
TO GRADUALLY MAKE CHANGES.
>> AND IGGY LADDEN SOME OF THE
BILLS THEY ARE TARGETING GENDER
AFFIRMING CARE, ESPECIALLY AMONG
TRANSYOUTH.
CAN YOU TALK ABOUT WHAT GOES
INTO THE DECISION AND HOW
DIFFICULT THAT IS FOR TRANSYOUTH
THAT GO FORWARD WITH GENDER
AFFIRMING CARE?
>> I THINK IT JUST MAKES THE
WHOLE CLIMATE OF TRUSTING
ONESELF, ONCE BODY THAT MUCH
SCARIER.
IT IS A COURAGEOUS THING TO SAY
I AM TRANSAND I WANT TO LIVE
AUTHENTICALLY.
AND ONE'S PROVIDER MIGHT BE
ATTACKED, ONE'S PARENTS MIGHT BE
CRIMINALIZED AND ONESELF MIGHT
BE RELATED TO AS MENTALLY UNWELL
FOR BEING TRANSMAKES IT HARDER
TO TAKE THAT STEP AND START
LIVING ONES LIFE IN THE MOST
HEALTHY WAY FOR THEM.
>> LOLA WANG HOW SHOULD PARENTS
BE TALKING TO THEIR KIDS ABOUT
THIS?
>> YOU DON'T WANT TO HIDE WHAT
IS HAPPENING.
YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE EVENT
IN AN AGE APPROPRIATE WAY.
VALIDATE THEIR WORRIES AND TRY
TO NOT LET YOUR WORRIES AND
FEARS TO AFFECT THEM.
WHAT IS IMPORTANT IS TO TALK
ABOUT THEM WHAT ARE SOME OF THE
THINGS WE CAN CONTROL?
IN THE FAMILY, WHAT ARE SOME OF
THE CONCRETE THINGS THAT WE CAN
DO TO HELP YOU GAIN SOME KIND OF
SAFETY.
WE CAN USE THE RIGHT PRONOUNCE.
WE CAN ADVOCATE OR FAMILY AND
EDUCATE THE SCHOOL AND
EDUCATORS.
THERE ARE A LOT OF THINGS WE CAN
DO AND THAT IS IMPORTANT TO
FOCUS ON.