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1 December 2004
Mental Health Problems Common Amongst Lesbians 
In a report appearing in the British Journal of Psychiatry, researchers from Imperial College London, University College London and the University of Brighton found that high levels of discrimination - including physical attacks and bullying - could be linked to high levels of mental disorder among gay men, lesbians and bi-sexual men and women. "The results of this research show that there is a likely link between levels of discrimination and an increased risk of mental health problems. It seems that high levels of discrimination including physical attack or verbal insults and previous school bullying can lead to an increased risk of mental health problems," said researcher Dr James Warner, from Imperial College London. The team found that 43 per cent of lesbians and 49 per cent of bisexual men and women had mental health problems as defined by the Clinical Interview Schedule. The Clinical Interview Schedule is used to assess the severity of complaints associated with a variety of health problems, including low mood or anxiety, fatigue, problems with memory and/or concentration, sleep disturbance, depressed mood, and anxiety. The researchers believe these high levels of mental problems could be linked to discrimination due to sexuality, with 83 percent of respondents having experienced damage to property, personal attacks or verbal insults in the past five years. Many respondents attributed these experiences to their sexuality.
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