National Estimate of LGBTQ Youth Seriously Considering Suicide

A. Green, M. Price-Feeney, S. Dorison

Report using a three-step methodology that estimated: 1) the number of youth ages 13-24 in the United States, 2) the number of youth ages 13-24 who identify as LGBTQ, and 3) the percentage of LGBTQ youth ages 13-24 who responded affirmatively to a question about whether they seriously considered suicide in the past 12 months. The methodology is nuanced based on age ranges and provide outputs for these specific age groups in addition to the total. Multiple data sources have been utilized to compute the estimates including the U.S. Census, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Youth Risk Behavior Survey, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Survey, The Gallup Daily tracking survey, the National Survey of Family and Growth, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's National Survey on Drug Use and Health, The Trevor Project's National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health, and national peer-reviewed studies examining suicidality among LGBTQ populations. The methodology and estimates were reviewed by an external panel of seven national experts on either LGBTQ youth or suicidology. Experts included psychologists, psychiatrists, and epidemiologists across academic settings and non-profit organizations.