The mental health of individuals in the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) community is a serious issue. Throughout much of the history of the United States and many different parts of the world, LGBT people have faced much persecution and in some cases even death. This constant fear of being discovered and the pressure you feel on yourself when you are “hidden” can lead to serious mental distress. Research has shown that people who identify as LGBT are twice as likely to develop mood and anxiety disorders later in life (Bostwick 468). This is extremely evident in the last two years in the suicides of teenagers who were bullied on the basis of sexual identity and expression. The stigma of simply being perceived as LGBT is strong enough to cause a person enough mental stress to take their own life. This is always a shame, but in the case of young people it borders on the unthinkable. Older LGBT individuals also don't tend to fare much better, given that they grew up in generations that were stricter about what was considered appropriate and morally right. That said, even as the world's culture is shifting towards greater acceptance of LGBT individuals, their mental health is something that is only now being fully examined. In the past, very little research has been done on the mental health of LGBT people. individuals. In 1997 the federal Center for Mental Health Services requested the collection of information on the subject (Lucksted 3). Most of the information came from small publications, basic information and self-reports and this information was also incomplete due to under-reporting of people from the transgender and bisexual communities. This old report shows what the situation was in... half of the document... i.org/10.1037/a0016441 Johnson, L., & Federman, E. J. (2014). VA psychologists' training, experience, and attitudes regarding LGBT issues: Relationship to practice and expertise. Psychology of sexual orientation and gender diversity, 1(1), 10-18. Retrieved April 21, 2014, from http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/sgd0000019Kelleher, C. (2009). Minority stress and health: Implications for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth. Counseling Psychology Quarterly, 22(4), 373-379. Retrieved April 21, 2014, from http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09515070903334995 Talbott, J. (2006). Rates and predictors of mental illness in gay men, lesbians, and bisexual men and women: Results from a survey in England and Wales. Yearbook of Applied Psychiatry and Mental Health, 2006, 158. Retrieved April 21, 2014, from http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0084-3970(08)70152-X