SAMHSA Data, Reports, and Issue Briefs

• 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Lesbian, Gay, & Bisexual (LGB) Adults This slide deck (available as a PPT and PDF) presents data specific to LGB adults based on the graphics, tables, and figures from the 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) Annual Report.
  
  
• Sexual Orientation and Estimates of Adult Substance Use and Mental Health: Results from the 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health

SAMHSA Programs and Initiatives

SAMHSA’s LGBT-focused efforts include the following:

• Encouraging states to consider LGBT needs in administering their SAMHSA Block Grants resources
• Including a sexual and gender minority focus in funding announcements where it is appropriate
• Supporting the inclusion of sexual orientation questions in the National Survey on Drug Use and Health
• Providing targeted technical assistance to grantees and other stakeholders issuing guidance on the implementation of the Supreme Court’s decision in U.S. v. Windsor related to the federal definitions of “spouse” and “marriage”

SAMHSA contributes to developing national data collection protocols and expanding health services for LGBT individuals. Multiple training efforts for behavioral health service providers have and will continue to improve service delivery and outcomes for LGBT individuals.

SAMHSA Behavioral Health Resources

• Health Insurance Enrollment Assistance for LGBT Communities: A Resource for Behavioral Health Providers is a briefing document that is part of a toolkit designed to help behavioral health providers assist lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in enrolling in health insurance plans. Many LGBT people in the U.S. lack insurance coverage for behavioral health services and could benefit from enrollment support. SAMHSA also has a PowerPoint presentation available and a consumer-oriented Frequently Asked Questions brochure to supplement this toolkit.
• A Practitioner’s Resource Guide: Helping Families to Support Their LGBT Children is a resource guide that offers information and resources to help practitioners throughout health and social service systems implement best practices in engaging and helping families and caregivers to support their lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) children.
• A Provider’s Introduction to Substance Abuse Treatment for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Individuals is a manual that informs clinicians and administrators about substance abuse treatment approaches that are sensitive to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) clients. Covers cultural, clinical, health, administrative, and legal issues as well as alliance building.
• Ending Conversion Therapy: Supporting and Affirming LGBTQ Youth is a report that presents therapeutic practices related to youth, and sexual orientation and gender identity. These practices are based on research, clinical expertise, and expert consensus. The report makes the case for eliminating the use of conversion therapy among youth.
• Helping Families Support Their Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Children (PDF | 897 KB) is a report that provides information about sexual orientation and gender identity to help friends, family, and other adults support LGBT children and adolescents. It reports research findings from the Family Acceptance Project at San Francisco University and includes research on the impact of families on their LGBT children’s health, mental health, and well-being. It also provides ways ethnically, religiously, and socially diverse families, parents, and caregivers can support their LGBT children. Family materials and provider tools such as education materials, assessment and policy resources, research publications, and gender spectrum education and training materials are presented.
• Larkin Street Stories from the Homelessness Resource Center is a video series about Toby, Loch, and the youth of Larkin Street Youth Services. Learn more about the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth who are homeless. The video series offers tips on best practices for providers serving LGBTQ youth who are homeless.
• LGBT Training Curricula for Behavioral Health and Primary Care Practitioners is a list of six training curricula for behavioral health and primary care practitioners to help them assess, treat, and refer lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) clients in a culturally sensitive manner. Continuing Medical Education (CME) and Continuing Education Unit (CEU) credits are available.
• Providing Services and Supports for Youth who are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, Intersex or Two-Spirit is a practice brief for policymakers, administrators, and providers seeking to learn more about (1) youth who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, intersex, or two-spirit (LGBTQI2-S) and (2) how to develop culturally and linguistically competent programs and services to meet their needs and preferences.
• Top Health Issues for LGBT Populations Information & Resource Kit equips prevention professionals, healthcare providers, and educators with information on current health issues among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) populations. Includes an overview of terms related to gender identity and sexual expression.

Federal Initiatives and Resources

• The Health of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender People: Building a Foundation for Better Understanding (The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine) is a report to help assess the state of the science, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) asked the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to evaluate current knowledge of the health status of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender populations; to identify research gaps and opportunities; and to outline a research agenda to help NIH focus its research in this area.
• Healthy People 2020-Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & Transgender Health is the webpage about LGBT Health for Healthy People 2020, a federal initiative that provides a comprehensive set of 10-year, national goals and objectives for improving the health of the U.S. population, including LGBT populations.
• HHS LGBT Issues Coordinating Committee 2013 Report is a report that summarizes specific actions that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has taken through June 2013, at the direction of President Obama and former Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, to promote equal treatment of LGBT Americans, provide enhanced resources for LGBT health issues, and develop better information regarding LGBT health needs.
• Stop Bullying – This federal website contains a specific section for LGBT youth.

External Resources

• American Psychological Association Office on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity
• Association of LGBTQ Psychiatrists
• Family Acceptance Project
• Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Mental Health Resources from the National Alliance on Mental Illness
• Lesbian and Gay Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Association LGBTQ Youth: Voices of Trauma, Lives of Promise (Video)
• The Trevor Project
• The Trevor Project National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health 2019 (PDF | 848 KB)