Mental health morbidity among gay and bisexual men

In recent years, epidemiologic research studies, often using general population-based or longitudinal cohort samples, have identified several mental health disparities that disadvantage gay and bisexual men in relation to their male peers. In this talk, we address four critical issues of relevance in the field. First, we highlight some of the methodological concerns that currently influence our understanding of mental health morbidity among gay and bisexual men. Second, we review evidence for disparities in mental health morbidity and suicide phenomenology affecting gay and bisexual men, emphasizing primarily those studies with either heterosexual comparison groups or sophisticated research designs that minimize uncontrolled selection bias. Third, we touch on some of the possible reasons for the differential risk that has been observed in the flurry of relatively recent studies. Finally, we discuss several possible future directions for research on the mental health of gay and bisexual men. These include encouraging targeted efforts at developing evidence-based interventions for treating or preventing mental health disorders and suicide risk among gay and bisexual men.