LGBTplus mental health

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Overview

• LGBT+ stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans. The ‘+’ is an inclusive term for people who don’t fit into traditional categories of gender or sexuality.
• Research shows that mental health problems are more common in the LGBT+ community. The reasons for this are complex, but we describe some of these below.
• There are specialist LGBT+ charities and mental health services where you may be able to get support.
• Under the Equality Act 2010, it is illegal for a service provider like the NHS to discriminate against anyone who identifies as LGBT+.

What does LGBT+ mean?

‘LGBT+’ stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or trans, and others.

The LGBT+ community is diverse, and the plus aims to include all identities.

We have used the term LGBT+ in this information. But we realise that people identify themselves in many ways and that some people may prefer a different term.

Sometimes you might see organisations describing themselves as ‘LGBTQ+’ or ‘LGBTQIA’ instead.

The organisation Stonewall has produced this list of LGBTQ+ terms that you might find useful: www.stonewall.org.uk/list-lgbtq-terms

What does gay, lesbian, and bisexual mean?

What does gay mean?
A man or non-binary person who is romantically or sexually attracted to men. Some women prefer the term gay and will use it instead of lesbian.

What does lesbian mean?
A woman or non-binary person who is romantically or sexually attracted to women.

What does bisexual mean?
A person who is romantically attracted to more than one gender. Bisexual people often refer to themselves as ‘bi.’

Are there other sexualities?
There are other sexualities, such as pansexual. This means being attracted to people regardless of their gender identity or sex.

What does trans mean?

A trans or transgender person is someone who is different from the sex they were assigned at birth.

Many transgender people will take hormones or undergo surgeries to help their body and appearance match with their gender identity. But lengthy waiting times can mean people have difficulties accessing gender-affirming care. And not all transgender people will want medical support or feel they need it.

What does the ‘+’ stand for?

The + or plus recognises others who do not fit into traditional categories of gender or sexuality.

Gender is increasingly being understood as being on a spectrum, rather than being binary.

More and more people are identifying themselves as being on a spectrum between man and woman or as non-gendered.

Lots of people have their own words to describe themselves rather than being defined as a man or a woman. You may hear people refer to themselves as gender neutral, gender fluid or non-binary.

What does LGBTQ+ or LGBTQIA mean?

What does the ‘Q’ stand for?
The Q stands for queer. It is used by people who want to reject specific labels that describe having a gender or sexual identity.

Queer used to be used as an insult, but some LGBT+ people have reclaimed the word for themselves. Other people who identify as LGBT+ find the term queer is a slur.

The Q is also sometimes separately used to refer to people who are ‘questioning.’ This means they are exploring their gender or sexual identity.

What does the ‘I’ stand for?
The ‘I’ stands for intersex.
Intersex is a term used to describe a person who:

• may have the biological attributes of both sexes, or
• whose biological attributes do not fit with what society’s assumes about what it means to be male or female.

Intersex people may identify as male, female, or non-binary.

Many intersex people don’t see themselves as part of the LGBT+ community.

What does the ‘A’ stand for?
The A stands for asexual. This is a term used to describe people who do not feel any sexual attraction.

Some asexual people feel romantic attraction. Those that do might also use terms such as gay, bi, lesbian, straight and queer together with asexual to describe their romantic attraction.

Why are LGBT+ people more likely to have a mental illness?

LGBT+ people are more likely to develop mental health issues that the general population.

A review of studies on mental health issues in the LGBT+ community found the following:

• LGBT+ people are at more risk of suicidal behaviour and self-harm than non-LGBT+ people.
• Gay and bisexual men are 4 times more likely to attempt suicide across their lifetime than the rest of the population.
• LGBT+ people are 1½ times more likely to develop depression and anxiety disorder than the rest of the population.
• Nearly 7 out of 10 trans people had experienced depression in the previous year. And nearly 5 out of 10 had thought of ending their life.
• There was a Lancet report in 2024. It found transgender people are much more likely to report having a long-term mental health condition than non-trans people.

The reasons why there are higher rates of mental health issues among LGBT+ people are complex.

There are many experiences that LGBT+ people will often have to deal with as a minority community, such as stigma, prejudice, and discrimination.

Some of the common issues are shown below.

What issues can LGBT+ people have with healthcare?

LGBT+ people can experience more social isolation than the general population. This could make it harder to get support and treatment.

LGBT+ people might have their specific health needs overlooked by healthcare professionals. This can leave them with a lack of trust in healthcare staff.

Some LGBT+ people are not open about their gender identity or sexual orientation or when looking for help for their mental health. This is because of fear of:

• unfair treatment, or
• questions about their gender identity or sexual orientation that might not be needed.

Can there be discrimination and stigma in healthcare services?

LGBT+ people and their carers may experience discrimination and stigma. This may affect their ability to access services and receive the most appropriate support.

In their 2018 report ‘LGBT in Britain health report’ Stonewall highlighted the following things.

• Almost 1 in 4 LGBT people have heard discriminatory or negative remarks against them by healthcare staff.
• One in four LGBT people have experienced inappropriate curiosity from healthcare staff because they’re LGBT,
• 1 in 8 LGBT people have experienced some form of unequal treatment from healthcare staff because they are LGBT.
• 1 in 7 LGBT people have avoided treatment because they fear discrimination.
• 1 in 10 LGBT people have been outed without their consent by healthcare staff in front of other staff or patients.

Was being LGBT+ seen as a mental illness?

Some early medical professionals thought being lesbian, gay or bisexual was a mental illness and needed psychiatric treatment.

In 1990 the World Health Organisation (WHO) removed homosexuality from their list of mental illnesses.

What about transgender people?
The situation for transgender people is more complex.

There are 2 main set of guidelines that doctors use to diagnose mental health conditions:

• the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11), and
• the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5).

Up until recently the ICD listed gender identity disorders as being a mental health disorder. This included people who have a desire to live and be accepted as a member of the opposite sex.

In ICD 10 this was known as transsexualism. This is one of the reasons why the term transsexual may be offensive for some people.

But in 2022 the ICD was updated to its latest version, ICD-11. The term ‘gender identity disorders’ was removed from the mental health category. And a new section on ‘gender incongruence’ has been included in the ‘conditions related to sexual health’ chapter.

So being trans is no longer medically categorised as a mental illness.

What is gender dysphoria?
Gender dysphoria is when you experience unease or distress as you feel there is a mismatch between:

• the sex assigned to you at birth, and
• your gender identity.

Gender dysphoria is listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5).

But many people feel gender dysphoria should not be classed as a mental health disorder.

The NHS say gender dysphoria is not a mental illness. But some people may develop mental health problems because of gender dysphoria.

You can read more about gender dysphoria from the NHS here:
www.nhs.uk/conditions/gender-dysphoria

What about negative incidents and abuse?

In 2018, the Government Equalities Office published the National LGBT survey.

This survey showed that 4 in 10 LGBT+ people had experienced a negative incident in the previous 12 months. The incidents happened because they were part of the LBGT+ community.

The most common types of incidents are verbal abuse.

9 in 10 LGBT+ people either did not report an incident at all or did not report it themselves.

People said that they did not report the incident because they felt:

• that nothing would happen or change,
• it is not serious enough, or
• it happens all the time.

Transgender people were around twice as likely to experience threats of physical or sexual harassment or violence. That is compared with the overall LGBT community.

About 1 in 10 of those that identify as transgender have experienced threats of physical or sexual harassment. This compared to 5 in 100 for the whole LGBT community.

What about workplace discrimination and bullying?
LGBT+ employees are more likely to experience conflict and harassment at work. This is compared to their heterosexual and cisgender colleagues.

A person who is cisgender has a gender identity that matches their sex assigned to them at birth.

• A study of more than 15,000 workers found that 4 out of 10 LGB+ employees experienced conflict in the workplace over the last 12 months. This is compared to 3 out of 10 of heterosexual and cisgender employees.
• 2 in 10 LGB employees have experienced verbal bullying in the last 5 years. This is from colleagues, customers, or service users because of their sexual orientation.
• 15 out of 100 LGB employees have experienced verbal homophobic bullying from their colleagues in the last 5 years.
• 1 in 4 trans employees are made to use an inappropriate toilet in the workplace during the early stages of transition. Or they are provided with none.

What about school discrimination and bullying?
More than half of younger LGBT+ people experience homophobic, biphobic or transphobic bullying in Britain’s schools.

Verbal, physical, and sexual abuse is more commonly reported in transgender youth compared to cisgendered youth.

Nearly 1 in 8 LGBT pupils who have been bullied for being LGBT self-harm.

What about hate crime?

In 2022 police data showed that in the UK the last 5 years:

• homophobic hate crime in has doubled, and
• transphobic hate crime has tripled.

This data only shows the crimes that were reported.

Experiencing a hate crime can greatly increase the risk of mental health issues.

LGBT+ people who are the victims of a hate crime are more likely to report depression and anxiety, than the crime.

Many want help to recover from an incident, but only 1 in 5 can get professional support.

It was found that 7 out of 10 LGBT+ people who had been the victim of a hate crime experienced depression. And slightly more reported episodes of anxiety.

For more information, see our webpage on Discrimination and mental health.

Can there be issues with coming out?

For some people ‘coming out’ for the first time can be exciting and liberating. For others it can be difficult. It could be a combination of the two.

Coming out can often be seen as something LGBT+ people only have to do once. But people often find themselves having to come out lots of times. This might be in different situations and as they meet new people in their lives.

If you come out and experience rejection, you may not want to come out again. You may feel that you must hide your real self, which can affect your mental wellbeing and cause stress.

If you experience homophobia, biphobia, or transphobia, you may turn these feelings inwards. This may lead to negative feelings about your own sexuality or gender identity. This can be called ‘internalised homophobia or transphobia’.

Coming out to at least one supportive person may lessen feelings of depression. It can increase your overall sense of wellbeing and self-esteem.

But it is up to you to decide if, when and how you want to come out.

What about young people?

Research shows that young LGBT+ people are at more risk of mental health issues. That is compared to people who do not identify as LGBT+.

• Young LGBT+ adults are more likely to self-harm. ,
• 13 out of 100 LGBT+ people who are aged 18-24 have attempted to take their own life in the last year.
• Young LGBT+ adults are more likely to show symptoms of eating disorders. ,

What about getting older?

Many older LGBT+ people have experienced ill-treatment because of their sexual orientation or gender identity in the past. This could have been at work, from authority figures or their own family.

Some feel that their sexual orientation has, or will have, a negative effect on them when getting older. Their concerns can be around future care needs, independence, mobility, health, and housing.

Age UK have a section on their website for older members of the LGBT+ community. You can find it here: www.ageuk.org.uk/information-advice/health-wellbeing/relationships-family/lgbt

What about substance abuse?

In a report, 16 out of 100 LGBT+ people said that they drank alcohol for more than 5 days per week in a 12-month period. This is compared to 1 in 10 of the non-LGBT+ community.

LGBT+ people may be more likely to use drugs than heterosexual people. This is especially true for LGBT+ people between the ages of 18 – 24.

Heavy drinking or drug use can make existing mental health problems worse and potentially trigger new ones.

For more information, see our webpage Drugs, alcohol and mental health.

Can there be culture and identity barriers?

Black, Asian or minority ethnic (BAME) LGBT+ people may face additional barriers when accessing support. This is shown in the following statistics about the BAME LGBT+ community:

• 6 out of 10 are more likely to experience depression than the general population,
• 8 out of 100 fall under communities that are higher risk of attempting to take their own life, and
• half have experienced discrimination because of their ethnicity from others in their local LGBT community.

For more information, see our webpage Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic and mental health.

Can there be body image issues?

You may feel pressure to look a certain way.

4 in 10 adult who identify as LGBT are likely to experience shame due to their body image. This is compared to less than 2 in 10 adults who don’t identify as LGBT.

Concern over body image can lead to an eating disorder or body dysmorphic disorder.

Eating disorders
An eating disorder is a term used to cover mental illness’ such as anorexia, bulimia and binge eating disorder.

If you are an LGBT+ person you are probably more likely to have an eating disorder than the rest of the population.

The eating disorders charity Beat estimate that around 2 in 100 people in the UK live with an eating disorder.

The charity Stonewall says that 1 in 8 LGBT people say that they experienced an eating disorder in the year up to April 2017.

For more information, see our webpage Eating disorders.

Body dysmorphia disorder (BDD)
BDD is a type of anxiety disorder. It is common for people who live with BDD to:

• be very distracted with perceived flaws in their physical appearance. These flaws will usually not exist or be very minor,
• have repetitive behaviours, such as mirror checking, excessive grooming or seeking reassurance from others, and
• have repetitive mental acts, such as comparing themselves to others.

These thoughts, feelings and behaviours can be difficult to manage and have a big effect on daily life. Such as issues with relationships, social situations and being able to function at work.

Muscle dysmorphia
Muscle dysmorphia is a type of body dysmorphia.

Muscle dysmorphia means that someone is very distracted with thoughts that their body is too small or lean.

People with this form of body disorder often have a very normal looking body or are even very muscular.

Most people affected by muscle dysmorphia are men.

Most people with muscle dysmorphia diet, do too much exercise and lift weights too often. This can sometimes cause bodily damage.

Some people with the disorder use potentially dangerous steroids and other substances to make their body bigger.

Gay and bisexual men have been found to report lower levels of body appreciation than heterosexual men.

Some studies on gay and bisexual men have found a connection between:

• higher levels of body dissatisfaction, and
• an increased likelihood of experiencing symptoms of depression.

For more information see our webpages on the following:

• Anxiety disorders, and
• Depression

Where can I get help?

It is important to seek help and support if you are experiencing mental health issues.

Here are some suggestions about where to get support:

Where can I find LGBT+ friendly therapists?

There are talking therapy services available for LGBT+ people.

You can find these by searching online or by finding a therapist on the Pink Therapy website. They provide a directory of qualified LGBT+ friendly therapists and counsellors. You can find their details in the Useful contacts section at the bottom of this page.

Some therapist offer free or low cost, therapy for LGBT+ people.

Are there LGBT+ support services and organisations?

There are many organisations offering social and practical support or advice to the LGBT+ community.

Some LGBT+ organisations provide mental health support groups, mentoring and helplines.

There may be LGBT+ social groups, sports clubs, or activities in your area that you could become involved in.

Many areas have services for younger people that can help with advice, support and meeting other LGBT+ people. Some areas also have services for older LGBT+ people to help them feel less isolated.

You can search online to find suitable services and organisations.

Some of these services are listed in in the Useful contacts section at the bottom of this page.

What mental health help can I get from the NHS?

NHS mental health help is mainly provided by:

• your GP,
• NHS talking therapy services,
• NHS mental health teams, and
• NHS urgent mental health services.

You might want mental health support but might not be getting any from the NHS currently. Your GP is a good place to start.

What can I do if I need urgent mental health help?
If you need urgent help, you can contact your local NHS urgent mental health helpline.

You can find details here: www.nhs.uk/service-search/mental-health/find-an-urgent-mental-health-helpline. Or you can call NHS 111 and them for details.

For more information see our webpages on the following:

• GPs and your mental health
• Talking therapies
• NHS mental health teams

Can I take a friend or relative to an appointment?
You can take a person you trust, like a friend or relative, to an appointment with you. They can support you and it might ease any anxiety you have about the appointment. The person can speak on your behalf if you want them to.

Can I get social care?

If you need help and support to look after yourself, you might be able to get help from social services. Social care support can include support to help you to do things like:

• get out of the house,
• keep in touch with friends and family,
• get a job or take part in education,
• prepare meals or go shopping, and
• manage money.

Under the Care Act 2014 you have a right to have your social care needs assessed.

If you have what are known as eligible needs, you might get social care support.

Social services will assess your finances to see if you need to pay towards the cost of your social care. You might get social care for free, or pay for some or all of it.

What are direct payments?
If you are entitled to social care support, you can ask for direct payments. This means that your local authority gives you the money to buy the services you want.

Direct payments give you more freedom to organise your own care. This means that you can choose a carer who understands and respects your lifestyle, and who you feel comfortable with.

For more information see our webpages on the following:

• Social care assessment - Under the Care Act 2014, and
• Social Care - Direct payments
• Social care - Charging for non-residential services under the Care Act 2014

What can I do to help myself?

There are things you can try to help yourself. Like think about your lifestyle or try mindfulness or meditation.

For more information, see our webpage on Worried about your mental health - How to get treatment and support.

What if I have problems with healthcare services?

If you have problems with healthcare services, there are things you can do.

We covered some of these problems in section 2 above.

You may decide to come out to your GP or another medical professional. It may help to talk this through with someone beforehand.

You could practice the conversation with someone you trust. Or you could talk it through with someone on an LGBT+ helpline. Some helplines are listed in the useful contacts section at the bottom of this page.

What are my rights as an LGBT+ person?

What does the NHS Constitution say?
The government introduced the NHS Constitution, which says that we all have the right ‘not to be unlawfully discriminated against in the provision of NHS services.’

This includes sexual orientation and gender reassignment. All NHS services must comply with this.

For more information, see our webpage on NHS treatment – Your rights.

What does the Equality Act say?
The Equality Act 2010 protects people from discrimination in the workplace and in wider society. It says it is illegal for a service provider to directly, or indirectly, discriminate against anyone who identifies as LGBT+.

The NHS and any other organisation that offers services is a service provider.

For more information, see our webpage on Discrimination and mental health.

What if I am not happy with my care or treatment?

If you are not happy with your care or treatment, you can:

• talk to your GP or mental health service,
• contact Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS),
• ask for a second opinion,
• contact an advocacy service, or
• make a complaint.

There is more information about these options below.

How can I try and sort the issue informally?
You could try and sort the issue informally to begin with. This is often the quickest and easiest way to sort a problem.

You could:

• talk to your GP or someone at your mental health team to see if they can help, or
• get in touch with your local NHS Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) if your complaint is about the NHS. They can sometimes sort issues without needing to go through the formal complaints’ procedure. You can search for your local service by following the below website link: www.nhs.uk/Service-Search/Patient-advice-and-liaison-services-(PALS)/LocationSearch/363.

You can explain:

• what’s happened,
• why you aren’t happy, and
• what you’d like to happen next.

If you still cannot get the issue sorted out, you can think about one of the other options below.

What is a second opinion?
You can also ask for a second opinion from a different doctor if you disagree with:

• your diagnosis, or
• the treatment you’ve been offered.

You do not have a right to a second opinion. But your doctor should listen to your reason for wanting a second opinion.

Only a psychiatrist can make a formal diagnosis. A psychiatrist is a medical doctor who specialises in mental health.

For more information, see our webpage on Second opinions – About your mental health diagnosis or treatment.

What is advocacy?
You might be able to get an advocate to help you if you are having problems with your GP or mental health service.

An advocate might be able to give you advice, go to appointments with you and help you get your voice heard.

They are independent from the NHS and are free to use.

There are 2 different types of advocates that might be able to help you.

• A general advocate might be able to support you to get your GP or mental health service to listen to your concerns. But they can’t help if you want to make a formal complaint. General advocacy may not always be available in your area.
• NHS complaints advocacy can help if you need help to complain about the NHS. This service is available in every area.

Some organisations may have specialist LGBT+ advocacy services. You can search online to see if there are any local LGBT+ advocacy services in your area.

For more information, see our webpage on Advocacy for mental health – Making your voice heard.

How can I make a complaint?

If you cannot sort your issue informally, you can complain verbally or in writing.

You can ask your GP or mental health service for a copy of their complaints policy.

For more information, see our webpage on Complaining about the NHS or social services.

Age UK
An organisation that offers guidance and support for older people who may be experiencing difficulties in accessing services or care. They have a section on their website which is written for older people of the LGBT+ community. It can be found using this link: www.ageuk.org.uk/information-advice/health-wellbeing/relationships-family/lgbt/

Phone: 0800 678 1602 or 0800 055 6112
Email via website: www.ageuk.org.uk/contact-us/information-and-advice//
Website: www.ageuk.org.uk

AKT
We support LGBTQ+ young people aged 16-25 at risk of, or experiencing, homelessness, or living in a hostile environment.

Email: gethelp@akt.org.uk
Online chat: www.akt.org.uk/get-immediate-support
Website: www.akt.org.uk

The Asexual Visibility and Education Network
Hosts the world's largest online asexual community as well as a large archive of resources on asexuality. Provides email to support to people who identify as asexual and their friends and family.

Email: aven.qa@gmail.com
Website: www.asexuality.org

The Beaumont Society
A national transgender support network offering emotional support via a weekly helpline, as well as general information and support groups.

Phone: 01582 412220
Address: The Beaumont Society, 27 Old Gloucester St, London, WC1N 3XX
Website: www.beaumontsociety.org.uk

Equality Advisory and Support Service
An organisation that provides advice on discrimination and human rights issues.

Phone: 0808 800 0082
Text phone: 0808 800 0084
Address: FREEPOST EASS HELPLINE FPN6521
Email via website: www.equalityadvisoryservice.com/app/ask/session/L3RpbWUvMTQ5Nzg3MDY0MS9zaWQvRFh2ZE92bG4%3D
Website: www.equalityadvisoryservice.com

Gallop
The helpline is for LGBT+ people experiencing abuse or violence, such as hate crime, domestic abuse, sexual violence, conversion therapy or any other kind of abuse. The Galop Helpline offers emotional support, provides information, and can help to explore an individual’s options, depending on their needs.

Phone: 0800 999 5428
Email: help@galop.org.uk
Website: www.galop.org.uk

GIRES (Gender Identity Research and Education)
A charity that provides information for transgender people and medical professionals, including research and links to support groups

Telephone: 0203 051 3696
Address: BSG, Gander Green Lane, Sutton, Surrey SM1 2EY
Email via website: www.gires.org.uk/contact-us
Website: www.gires.org.uk

GMFA (Gay Men Fight Aids)
A gay men’s health charity with lots of useful information on their website.

Email via website: hello@lgbthero.org.uk
Website: www.gmfa.org.uk

Pink Therapy
Pink Therapy has a directory listing qualified therapists throughout the UK
who work with the LGBT+ community from a positive stance.

Phone: 07971 205323
Address: BCM 5159, London, WC1N 3XX
Email: admin@pinktherapy.com
Website: www.pinktherapy.com

Traveller Pride
A network that can provide guidance, support, and information to make life easier for LGBT+ travellers. Also provides essential services and meetup spaces.

Phone: 0800 233 5066 or 07395 355066
Website: www.lgbttravellerpride.com

Mind Out
A mental health service for LGBT+ people which provides advice, information, advocacy, peer support groups, mentoring and wellbeing events.

Phone: 01273 234 839
Address: Community Base, 113 Queens Rd, Brighton, BN1 3XG
Email: info@mindout.org.uk
Website: www.mindout.org.uk

Stonewall
A charity for all LGBT+ people both in the UK and abroad. They can provide information and advice. They have a database that can help you find local lesbian, gay and bisexual community groups or services.

Phone: 0800 0502020
Address: 192 St John Street, London, EC1V 4JY
Email: info@stonewall.org.uk
Website: www.stonewall.org.uk

Switchboard LGBT+
A service that gives national information and a listening service over phone and email and instant messaging. All volunteers identify as LGBT+ so the person answering the phone should have an understanding of your situation. They are based in London but do take calls from the whole of the UK.

Phone: 0300 330 0630
Address: Switchboard, PO Box 7324, London, N1 9QS
Email: chris@switchboard.lgbt
Website: www.switchboard.lgbt

NAZ
NAZ is a sexual health charity working to address sexual health inequalities in Black, Brown and Global Majority communities. They offer counselling, HIV care and support, community programmes and advocacy.

Address: 30 Black’s Road, Hammersmith, London, W6 9DT
Phone: 0208 741 1879
Email: info@naz.org.uk
Website: www.naz.org.uk

Local support. This list doesn’t include local support in all areas of the country.

Birmingham LGBT Centre
Voluntary organisation providing advice and support to LGBT+ people in Birmingham. Offers counselling, well-being services and wide range of support groups.

Phone: 0121 643 0821
Address: Birmingham LGBT Centre, 38-40 Holloway Circus, Birmingham, B1 1EQ
Email: hello@blgbt.org
Website: www.blgbt.org

ELOP (East London Out Project)
A London based LGBT mental health and wellbeing centre offering a holistic approach. They offer counselling, support groups, advocacy and young people’s services.

Phone: 020 8509 3898
Address: 56-60 Grove Rd, Walthamstow, London, E17 9BN
Email: info@elop.org
Website: www.elop.org

Leicester LGBT Centre
Voluntary organisation providing support to LGBT+ people in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. Offers counselling and wide range of support groups.

Phone: 0116 2547412
Address: 15 Wellington St, Leicester, Leicestershire, LE1 6HH
Email via website: info@leicesterlgbtcentre.org
Website: www.leicesterlgbtcentre.org

London Friend
A long-running LGBT+ charity which offers low-cost counselling, drug and alcohol services as well as social and support groups. Based in North London.

Phone: 020 7833 1674
Address: London Friend main office, 86 Caledonian Rd, London, N1 9DN
Email: office@londonfriend.org.uk
Website: www.londonfriend.org.uk

Metro
Provides health, community and youth services across London and the south-east of England. Mental health support includes counselling, mental health drop-in, sexual health counselling and advocacy.

Phone: 020 8305 5000
Email: hello@metrocharity.org.uk
Website: www.metrocentreonline.org

Opening Doors London
Provides a range of services and activities for LGBT+ people over 50 in London.

Phone: 0207 239 0400
Address: Tavis House, 1-6 Tavistock Square, London, WC1H 9NA
Email via website: info@openingdoorslondon.org.uk
Website: www.openingdoorslondon.org.uk

Outcome
An LGBT+ mental health service run through Mind in Islington, offering psychotherapy, counselling, art therapy, alternative therapies and activities.

Phone: 020 7272 5038
Address: Outcome, Mind Spa, 35 Ashley Rd, London, N19 3AG
Email: sigal.avni@islingtonmind.org.uk
Website: www.islingtonmind.org.uk/our-services/outcome/

Reengage
Rainbow call companions is a free phone befriending service for LGBT+ people who are lonely, isolated or in need of companionship. This is a service specifically for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender plus (LGBT+) people aged 75+ who would like to speak to someone who’s also LGBT+.

Website: www.reengage.org.uk/join-a-group/get-a-rainbow-call-companion

Support U
Leading lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ+) help and support service based in the southeast of England.

Phone: 0118 321 9111
Address: 15 Castle Street, Reading. RG1 7SB
Website: www.supportu.org.uk

Mermaids
UK charity supporting transgender, non-binary and gender diverse children and young people, their families, and professionals involved in their care. They exist to relieve the mental and emotional stress of gender-diverse children and young people aged 20 and under, as well as promote education and awareness.

Phone: 0808 801 0400
Website: www.mermaidsuk.org.uk

Gendered Intelligence
Services for trans, non-binary and gender questioning people and families to increase a sense of resilience and pride in who they are.

Email: admin@genderedintelligence.co.uk
Phone: 020 7155 1302
Website: www.genderedintelligence.co.uk

Stonewall Housing
A national charity supporting LGBTQ+ people of all ages who live in the UK and are experiencing homelessness or living in an unsafe environment. Have specialisms in mental Health, domestic abuse and supported accommodation.

Address: Stonewall Housing 8 Coppergate House 10 Whites Row London E1 7NF
Email: info@stonewallhousing.org
Phone: 0800 6 404 404
Website: www.stonewallhousing.org

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© Rethink Mental Illness 2022

Last updated December 2023
Next update December 2026

Version number 6