Qweerist, #LGBTQ entertainment and news site, explored the issues surrounding mental health in the LGBTQ+ community and the need to talk more openly.
Smart TMS Technician Chloe Ward was asked to share her expert advice and opinion on the issues raised in the feature.
“Why we need to talk more about mental health issues in the LGBTQ+ community”
The article explained that LGBTQ+ people may be more susceptible to mental health issues due to the potential for negative experiences such as bullying, abuse, isolation, homophobia, hate crime, rejection and other forms of discrimination.
Research has shown that LGBT are at a greater risk of depression, anxiety, self-harm and suicide compared to the average UK adult.
The article explains:
“It is important to speak out about any mental health concerns as containing your emotions for too long can have serious implications both mentally and physically.
“These emotions can build up and if you do not find a release, can bubble up and weigh on you mentally.”
Left untreated, mental health issues such as depression tend not to go away of their own accord but instead can become more of a problem. The feature explains:
“Mental illness is different from some physical illnesses in that they are not often physically identifiable. However, like many physical illnesses, they do not simply ‘go away’ over time and often the longer they persist they harder they will be to treat.
“People with depression, for example, might only experience a handful of symptoms on a few days to start off with, but if left untreated these may expand and become more frequent. This can start to affect your daily life, your work, your relationships and your family life, the result of these problems leads on to knock-on effects.”
Practical Self-Help Tips
Sensible health and wellness advice can be helpful. Some useful suggestions outlined include:
- Getting at least 6-8 hours of sleep. This is important for both physical and mental health
- Eat a well-balanced diet
- Avoid excess alcohol
- Avoid smoking and drugs
- Try to either avoid stress or understand how to cope with the triggers
- Physical exercise can be very helpful
What Next?
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health issues, it’s important to encourage open discussion, as talking about it really is the first step to finding help.
Smart TMS’s Chloe Ward continued:
“There are specially trained networks which help to support those in LGBT communities. There are also low cost or free counselling services available which can be found online or by asking local LGBT services in your town.
“Counselling may be helpful as it gives people an opportunity to work together with the therapist on coping strategies. If you feel the depression or anxiety is affecting you and you feel counselling or medication may not help, there are drug-free, non-intrusive treatments such as Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) available. This form of treatment uses targeted magnetic pulses to stimulate the areas of the brain affected by mental health conditions to reduce symptoms.
Read In Full on Qweerist
The feature can be found at https://www.qweerist.com/life/mental-health-lgbtq-community/
Chloe Ward, TMS Technician
Chloe is a member of the the Smart TMS team of technicians. She has excellent Psychology qualifications and credentials including an BSc in psychology and an MSc in Counselling Psychology.
Prior to working at Smart TMS, her experience included working for the Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health Trust and Mind, as well as a local pregnancy help counselling organisation.
Chloe is based at Smart TMS Birmingham, where she enjoys delivering TMS treatment and helping patients on their journey to recovery.
rTMS for Depression Treatment
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) is a technological breakthrough in the treatment of depression and anxiety without drugs.
Additionally, there is clinical evidence for a variety of further potential treatment applications including: addictions (alcohol, cocaine, meth, nicotine, gambling) as well as DPD (Depersonalisation Disorder), OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder), PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder), BPD (borderline personality disorder).
The treatment is now available for private patients at Smart TMS, a specialist provider of the innovative treatment with an expanding network of locations around the UK and Ireland including:
CONTACT US
For any queries or to book an appointment, please contact us:
Tel: 0345 222 5678
Email: info@smarttms.co.uk