This webinar will present the guidelines that were developed by Mental Health First Aid Australia and the University of Melbourne, with assistance from the National LGBTI Health Alliance, MindOUT project. 

The guidelines outline what a person needs to consider when providing mental health first aid to an LGBTIQ person. It will briefly review the literature on mental health problems in LGBTIQ people, describe the research methodology used to develop the guidelines and then summarise the advice given in the guidelines. This includes:

• the importance of using appropriate, non-stigmatising language when supporting an LGBTIQ person
• how to talk and ask questions about LGBTIQ experiences
• how to show and provide practical support to an LGBTIQ person experiencing mental health problems, including specific advice when the person experiences discrimination and stigma, discloses their LGBTIQ experience or ‘comes out’, or is an adolescent
• how to encourage treatment seeking

Presenter

The webinar will be presented by Dr Kathy Bond, research officer at Mental Health First Aid Australia.  Kathy led the Delphi study that was conducted to develop these guidelines. She has worked for Mental Health First Aid Australia since 2012 and has been involved in the development a number of Mental Health First Aid Australia guidelines including helping someone with financial difficulties and mental health problems, and gambling problems. She has also conducted studies to evaluate the impact of several mental health first aid courses.

Reference List

1. Australian Bureau of Statistics. 2007 National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing: Summary of Results. (Document 4326.0). Canberra: ABS; 2008.
2. Hyde Z, Doherty M, Tilley P, McCaul K, Rooney R, Jancey J. The first Australian national trans mental health study: Summary of results. Perth: Curtin University; 2014.
3. Wisniewski AB, Mazur T. 46, XY DSD with female or ambiguous external genitalia at birth due to androgen insensitivity syndrome, 5-reductase-2 deficiency, or 17-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase deficiency: a review of quality of life outcomes. International Journal of Pediatric Endocrinology 2009; 2009: 1.
4. D’Alberton F, Assante MT, Foresti M, Balsamo A, Bertelloni S, Dati E, Nardi L, Bacchi ML, Mazzanti L. Quality of life and psychological adjustment of women living with 46, XY differences of sex development. The Journal of Sexual Medicine 2015; 12: 1440-9.
5. Couch MA, Pitts MK, Patel S, Mitchell AE, Mulcare H, Croy SL. TranZnation: A report on the health and wellbeing of transgender people in Australia and New Zealand. Melbourne: Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health & Society, La Trobe University; 2007.
6. Pitts M, Mitchell A, Smith A, Patel S. Private lives: A report on the health and wellbeing of GLBTI Australians. Melbourne: Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health & Society, La Trobe Univerity; 2006.
7. Birkett M, Newcomb ME, Mustanski B. Does it get better? A longitudinal analysis of psychological distress and victimization in lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth. J Adolesc Health 2015; 56: 280-5.
8. Hillier L, Jones T, Monagle M, Overton N, Gahan L, Blackman J, Mitchell A. Writing themselves in 3: the third national study on the sexual health and wellbeing of same sex attracted and gender questioning young people. Melbourne: Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society, La Trobe University; 2010.