Note: - The First GLB Suicide Web Page for an Individual European Country Became Available in August, 2000 - Norway's Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Suicide Problems.

A Brief History of the Homosexual Male Suicide Problem in Europe

Relevant information about Germany and England is located in the first paragraph of The History of the Suicide Problem in Gay Communities (Alternate Link), a section of the 1995 paper The Homosexuality Factor in the Youth Suicide Problem (Alternate Link). This is a shortened version of the information presented in A General History of the Gay and Lesbian Suicide Problem, a chapter in  The Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Factor in the Youth Suicide Problem. Although variations in responses to homosexuality have existed in Europe, the historical response has generally been negative and deemed to be criminal until the 1960s when Canada also decriminalized homosexual behavior between adults. The American decriminalization of homosexual behavior between adults began in 1962 but about 20 states have not yet changed their laws in this respect.

Internet Resources: Euro-Sappho-  - Homosexuality in Early Modern Europe -  - The European Region of the International Lesbian and Gay Association.-  - Histoire des LGBT en Europe. - Global Gays: Articles Indexed by Countries. 

A Search for European GLB Suicide Problem Information.

A 1999 search of the most extensive medical index in the world - Medline - via PubMed produced few results for research papers indexed with the term "homosexuality" (which is added to the listing if the paper addresses this subject) and using the word "suicide" along with the name of a European country in the SEARCH function. To date, it appears like the concept of "homosexuality" as a factor in youth suicide problems has been ignored in European mainstream suicidology, much like the situation has existed in Australia, North America, and in other countries. Even with "indicator" information available in England (noted below), British suicidologists have also continued to ignore the issue. Since then, some changes have occured, with an increasing number of studies reporting that sexual minority individuals have been st risk for suicidality.

At the web page Child and adolescent suicide and parasuicide in Europe N/A, information is given on 1995 - 1997 major British project funded by the European Commission, the Department of Health, and several UK trusts and foundations. Homosexuality issues are not mentioned, and they may not have been addressed. It was nonetheless noted that, in Britain "in the decade to 1990, suicide among males between 14 and 24 years rose by almost 80 per cent." 

A similar silence about homosexuality issues may also occur in the 1998 Child and Adolescent Self-Harm in Europe N/A initiative funded by The European Commission Daphne Initiative. By November 8, 1998, I completed the form at http://www.ncb.org.uk/shquest.htm N/A to advise them of the information available on these web pages. I have also requested all information collected or produced on The Homosexuality Factor in European Youth Suicide Problems. References noted below indicate that gay, lesbian, and bisexual issues are not being addressed by mainstream organizations nor mainstream researchers addressing self-harm and suicide issues in the child and youth population. NOTE: This was written in 2000 and, since then, a number of studies have indicated that GLBT people are at risk for suicideality and suicide. With respect to the latter, for example:

Qin P, Agerbo E, Mortensen PB (2003).  Suicide risk in relation to socioeconomic, demographic, psychiatric, and familial factors: a national register-based study of all suicides in Denmark, 1981-1997. American Journal of Psychiatry, 160(4):765-72. (Abstract) (Full Text) - "...registered [same-sex] partners included as a separate category in the analysis had an odds ratio of 4.31 (95% CI= 2.23–8.36) in the crude analysis and 3.63 (95% CI=1.71– 7.67) in analyses with adjustment for other factors in the full model [for having committed suicide compared to opposite-sex married couples]". Note: This is a First-Time Research Result! See: Frisch M, Bronnum-Hansen H (2009). Mortality among men and women in same-sex marriage: a national cohort study of 8333 Danes. American Journal of Public Health, 99(1): 133-7. Abstract. After 1995, higher risk of death in same-sex marriages occur in first 3 year of the marriage. Note: The paper does NOT mention the Qin et al (2003) suicide results (above), and suicide is only mentioned as possibly being implicated in the higher risk of death for same-sex couples.

For European GLBT Suicidality Research Results (Non-Random & Random Studies), see tabulation at the end of this web page.

2007 Conference Presentations of Sexual Minority Suicidality Related Studies in Some European Countries (Word Download).

Adolescence, Homosexualité et Violence - Projet Daphné Bruxelles 10 et 11 novembre 1998. - The Daphne Intiative Questionnaire. NOTE: Most of the Europeann homosexuality related information from this project seems to have disappeared from the Internet. 

European homosexuality Related Information by countries (In French) N/A.

Social exclusion of young lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in Europe. (106 page 2006 report by Judit Takács: PDF Download).

A Web Page For GLB Suicide Problems in England, Ireland, and Scotland.

Contents:

A 1989 British GLB Youth Suicide Problem Summary of Studies.

Some Recent Commentaries / Reports: GLB Individuals at High Risk for Suicide Problems. - Suicide Problems as Result of Anti-Gay Bullying. - In Prisons. - Homophobia and Mental Health. - Suicide Problems Ongoing?

Suicide Problems Experienced by GLB Adolescent and Other Adolescents Abused in Schools and Elsewhere Because They are Known or Believed to be Homosexual. A Collection of Related Information.

What is the "ABUSE" situation for gay, lesbian, and bisexual people in in smaller cities and towns in the UK? Excerpts from an Investigative Report by ABC on the Autralian Situation. Would the situation not be quite similar in the UK? Why have such investigative reports not been done in UK?

GLB Suicide Problems Likely In Ireland.

GLB Suicide Problems In Scotland?

Switzerland: A 1998 Study Indicates That Gay & Bisexual Males From the French speaking Part of Switzerland Have Elevated Suicidality Rates.

Cochand P and Bovet P (1998).  HIV infection and suicide risk: an epidemiological inquiry among male homosexuals in Switzerland. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 33(5), 230-4. .(A PubMed abstract link with a document delivery service.)

From the abstract: "A high rate of suicide attempts was found among homosexuals, both HIV- and HIV+."  The lifetime suicide attempt rate for the sample of 144 gay and bisexual males is about 23%. Research Highlights. - Un jeune gay sur quatre a tenté de se suicider: "Selon une étude suisse, les garçons âgés entre 13 et 17 ans qui aiment les garçons traversent une crise profonde. Le psychiatre lausannois Pierre Cochand propose d'aborder le sujet dans les écoles. Il note que plus on parle des comportements homosexuels, plus leur fréquence diminue..." - Note: In 1998, an Australian study also reported elevated lifetime "suicide attempt" rates (21% - 29%) for a similar sample of gay and bisexual males. See "Australia" page.

Leu, Christian (2008). Orientation sexuelle et comportements suicidaires: Une enquête sur les résultats de la recherche internationale et nationale sur les facteurs de risque et de protection pour les adolescents homosexuels et bisexuels. Berne, La Suisse / Switzerland: Le collectif Formation de PINK CROSS, LOS et fels. Full Text. Download Page.

Leu, Christian (2008). Sexuelle Orientierung und Suizidalität: Eine Untersuchung der internationalen und nationalen Forschungs-ergebnisse der Risiko- und Schutzfaktoren für adoleszente Homo- und Bisexuelle. bern, Switzrland: PINK CROSS, LOS und fels. Full Text. Download Page. 

Results of this study and two other studies are tabulated below.

Switzerland gays and lesbians are second-class citizens N/A. - En octobre 1998, le magazine 360° (New URL) publie une enquête sur l'homosexualité dans le milieu scolaire en Suisse Romande et aux Etats-Unis (Article Listing N/A).- La loi du silence N/A: Enquête dans les écoles de Suisse Romande. Témoignages de jeunes gays et lesbiennes, d'enseignants homos et de directeurs d'établissements secondaires. - "J'ai refusé de porter un masque N/A." Interview de Jean-Pierre Sigrist, premier enseignant ouvertement gay à Genève dans les années 1980, fondateur de l'OSEEH, co-fondateur du GLHOG et de Dialogai. - Education sexuelle N/A. Ce qu'on ose dire aux élèves. Un tour d'horizon auprès des animateurs en éducation sexuelle en Suisse Romande. NOTE: These article were at http://www.lambda-education.ch/ and then disappeared. They also are not present a the New URL.

Statistiques relatives aux tentatives de suicide commises par les adolescents homosexuel(le)s N/A. (Must Scroll) - Parler d'homosexualité à l'école? La question gay déchire leRoyaume-Uni. (Et la situation en Suisse?) - En Suisse, des ateliers luttent contre l'homophobie: Si le sujet de l'homosexualité reste souvent tabou dans les classes, divers projets de formation des enseignants sont en cours. -   Suicide et tentative de suicide parmi les personnes à orientation homo-/bisexuel. 

Lutter contre le suicide des jeunes homosexuels. - Résultats de l'enquête Dialogai Homophobie (PDF Download). - Projet Santé Gaie- Les premiers résultats de l'enquete sur la santé des hommes gais de Genève (PDF Download).

Programme de LAMBDA Eucation:  "Organisation suisse, Lambda Education dénonce la loi du silence et propose des outils et ressources pédagogiques, des formations susceptibles de faire évoluer les mentalités par la connaissance. "Que l’on soit élève ou prof, il ne fait pas bon être gay ou lesbienne à l’école. L’homosexualité reste le sujet tabou par excellence dans les établissements scolaires de Suisse Romande." - La double discrimination dont souffrent les lesbiennes en Suisse.

Etude et statistiques sur les jeunes gays en Suisse Romande: - Le questionnaire ciblait explicitement des jeunes hommes de 16 à 25 ans... Durant ces 6 derniers mois, avez-vous eu des idées de suicide? non, jamais: 68.3%; oui, rarement: 16.3%; oui, parfois: 9.8%; oui, souvent: 5.7%... Avez-vous par le passé tenté de vous suicider? Oui: 24.4%; Non: 74.4%; ne répond pas: 1.6%. Echantillion: n = 102 jeune hommes homosexuels et bisexuels.

Sept siècles d'histoire de l'homosexualité en Suisse. - Premier partenariat d'un couple homosexuel en Suisse. - Suicide risk higher among young gay people.

Perception du système de soins par les jeunes hommes homosexuels (Article de P. Cochand G. Dennler O. Weber): "Les difficultés des jeunes homosexuels à accepter leur orientation sexuelle, les problèmes psychologiques qu’ils présentent et l’absence fréquente de soutien du milieu familial dans le moment de crise que peut être la prise de conscience de sa différence identitaire conduisent un certain nombre d’entre eux à chercher dialogue et compréhension auprès du corps médical. L’attitude des soignants face au questionnement identitaire de ces adolescents et plus généralement face à l’homosexualité est dès lors décisive pour l’épanouissement de ces jeunes patients. Trois vignettes cliniques illustrent les difficultés tant des jeunes homosexuels que des soignants à aborder sereinement cette problématique..."

Wang J, Häusermann M, Ajdacic-Gross V, Aggleton P, Weiss MG (2007). High prevalence of mental disorders and comorbidity in the Geneva Gay Men's Health Study. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology,  42(5): 414-20. Abstract. Full Text.

See Below: Suicidality Study Results.

Resources: -Lamda Education. - gayromandie.ch - dialogai.org - swissgay.ch - lesbian.ch - vogay.ch - le magazine 360° .

The French Contribution to Tackling Possible Gay/Bisexual  Male Suicide Problems in France.

On the French QRD, the only document exploring the possibility of a gay and bisexual male suicide problems in France was published in Gageure, a publication by GAGE, the French lesbigay student association (l'association des Etudiant(e)s Gai(e)s) in Paris).

Issue No. 65 (1996) contains "DOSSIER SUICIDE" (The Suicide File) announced on the Index Page with  "Dossier: Le suicide du jeune gai ... dossier" (File: The suicide of young gay males... file).  The "file" link leads to the file's index page containing four highlighted title links, each representing a section of the "dossier".  The first line on the page is "Le suicide du jeune gai, réalité ou mythe?" (The suicide of young gay males, reality or myth?)

Generally, the concept presented is that there is really no validity to the idea - mostly stemming from North American studies - that gay males are more at risk for having suicide problems. Furthermore, as highlighted by Yves Roussel  in the tile of his article, "Si fragile... si féminin, this "higher risk for suicide" makes gay males such as himself appear to be "so fragile... so feminine."

At least for some homosexual French males, the idea of belonging to a group at greater risk for suicide problems is odious apparently because it then makes them more feminine - as in therefore maybe not being real men - defined by being being anything "feminine." This concept, however, is rooted in extreme sexism also underlying homophobia according to Welzer-Lang [L'homophobie : La face cachée du masculin (Homophia: the hidden face of masculinity)], and Welzer-Land, Dutey, et Dorais (1994) [La peur de l'autre en soi, du sexisme à l'homophobie] who have studied and written on the subject from a "French" perspective. (Note: These items are available from "menprofeminist.org" site.)

The implications are that these masculine French homosexual males are homophobic - or self-hating - and one result of self-hatred may be to not only facilitate the deaths of individuals like oneself (the ones representing what exists within oneself but is denied), but to also deny the problem's existence. In the latter case, nothing will done to help the ones "at risk" and a maximum casualties will result for these males.

Finally, to make these [death facilitating] opinions look valid - and these same opinions have also been held by most mainstream suicidologists who have generally made it their life mission to ignore homosexuality-related issues in suicide prevention / intervention / and research work - the bibliography is deemed to be "recent." More important to establishing its reliability, however, is the fact that it was apparently compiled with the collaboration of the Department of Sociology at the University of Chicago! However, the bibliography is lacking in many ways if it is compared to the works (the studies done before 1996 in North America) cited in the "gbsuicide0.htm" file.

Homosexual males who are fearful of being perceived "feminine" may be using well known methods to counter such insecurities in their psyche. They may, in fact, have bought into the "prison" {"la maison des hommes"] ideology rendered by Jean Genet: Men who fuck males are double males. But what about the "penetrated" males - the ones essentially made into women? Maybe, it was not an accident that Remafedi et al. (1991) reported that it was the more "feminine" adolescent males who were at the greatest risk for having attempted suicide. Could a part of the problem be that these boys acquired the same ideology manifested by "masculine" homosexuals (producing self-hatred for them), and that they also may have been subjected to whatever feminine-hating (sexist) "masculine" homosexual (bisexual, or heterosexual) males have had to offer?

Note: Understanding the above is imperative to understanding the high suicidality rates for male prisoner in France, America, Australia, and in other countries - a subject not yet significantly tackled in these web pages. It is possible that the "masculine" homosexuality many males have manifested in prisons is implicated in suicides - not of themselves but of other males sexually used and abused (even raped) by these ultra-"masculine" homosexuals. Relevant information is available from (1) Donaldson (1993) - A Million Jockers, Punks, and Queens: Sex among American Male Prisoners and its Implications for Concepts of Sexual Orientation.  (2) Donaldson (1990) N/A - Prisons, Jails, and Reformatories. (3)  Welzer-Land, Mathieu, and Faure (1996) (See below).  (4) One in 4 Prisoners Sexually Assaulted (Australian Prisons). - Sexual assault rife in NSW jails N/A.

Is there a suicide problem in French prisons for males?  Yes, according to Welzer-Land, Mathieu, and Faure (1996) who note it to be "6 to 7 times" worse than for similar males in society. Is the problem even more serious for the youngest males in prison - the ones most often desired - and even raped - by "masculine" homosexuals? Is there a situation in France similar to the one proposed by Donaldson (1990) N/A with respect to the suicide-producing effect of "masculine" homosexuality on other less masculine males in American prisons? Why, however, has the phenomenon been generally ignored in studies by mainstream suicidologists in France or in America? Additional information is available in The Homosexuality Factor in Prison Violence.

For more information about prisons as a more pure form of "la maison des hommes" ["men's hut or lodge" - an important anthropology concept related to the making of men which generally means purging (repressing?) anything "feminine" in them] ideology rooted in extreme sexism, see Welzer-Land, Mathieu, and Faure (1996) "Sexualités et violences en prison (Extraits): Ces abus qu’on dit sexuels." (Also see other "homophobia references listed above.) This learned sexism (reflecting a hatred for women) also results in a hatred (gender-based homophobia) for males deemed to be "like women": the stereotypical "feminine" homosexual. 

Colloque Jeunes & Homosexualité N/A: "Entre juin 1997 et juin 1998, la ligne a été sollicitée près de 25 000 fois. Un peu moins de 4 000 appels ont pu être traités aboutissant sur plus de 1 400 entretiens personnalisés (bien qu'anonymes) d'une durée moyenne de 20 minutes. Plus de 70 % des appelants expriment une difficulté à accepter leur différence sexuelle. Les problèmes de peur, de crainte, d'acceptation de soi, de solitude, d'isolement et de mal être reviennent le plus fréquemment durant les entretiens. Le mal être, lui, concerne 13 à 14 % des appelants dont certains n'hésitent pas à parler d'état dépressif, de pulsions suicidaires ou même de tentatives de suicide.

Suicide et dépression chez les adolescents homosexuels, l'urgence d'une action!!! (Alternate Link) - Le suicide qui n’ose pas dire son nom: "Le livre Homosexualité & suicide, au travers d’études et de 13 témoignages, propose une explication du taux de suicide apparemment plus élevé chez les gays et lesbiennes et particulièrement les jeunes... Je cite un paragraphe du livre qui résume les principaux facteurs à risque pour le jeune gay : « on s’aperçoit que les risques suicidaires les plus élevés sont, soit associés à un vécu persécutif de la part de membres de la famille, de pairs, ou de professionnels référents ; soit à une difficulté extrême à traverser la prise de conscience et / ou la révélation de l’homosexualité ; soit enfin à une incapacité à vivre l’un de ses premiers amours, à un rejet de sa part ou à une rupture amoureuse.." - Tentatives de suicide à l’adolescence: souffrance singulière et mal-être social: "Les jeunes face à l’homophobie" par Eric Verdier, Coauteur de Homosexualité et suicide (p. 14-16. PDF Download) -  Suicide Mortelle homophobie: Entretien réalisé par Dany Stive: Éric Verdier et Jean-Marie Firdion, Homosexualités et Suicide. - Contribution d’Eric Verdier À L’amphi 2005. - Une recherche action d’Éric Verdier: Préférence sexuelle, niveau social, origine ethnique : la discrimination conduit à la prise de risque..

Le risque de suicide chez les jeunes a orientations sexuelles non conventionelles (lesbiennes, bisexuelles, gais) (PDF Download, Homosexualites et Socialism, Rapport). - Le rejet social comme origine du suicide N/A. (Locate Link on this page and download item) - Avoir 16 ans et être homo: "La vie est très difficile lorsqu'on se découvre gay au collège et au lycée. Un petit aperçu de mon histoire à moi et mes conseils... C'était également un moyen d'annoncer mon homosexualité aux gens qui m'entourent. Grave erreur. Dans le cercle de mes amis, je me suis découvert des ennemis suite à cette annonce. ça a été un calvaire cette dernière année. Insultes, sous-entendus mal placés, et même des crachas..." - Suicide et dépression: "Suicide et sexualité sont encore aujourd'hui en France des sujets relativement tabous. De nombreux experts estiment que les statistiques sur le suicide sont sous-évaluées. De plus, à la différence des États-Unis, du Canada et de l'Italie, aucune étude n'a été menée à ce jour sur les risques suicidaires dans la population des jeunes gais et lesbiennes et celles réalisées sur le suicide chez les jeunes n'interrogent, ni ne prennent en compte les difficultés liées à l'acceptation de l'homosexualité ou de pratiques homosexuelles...

Modes de consommation d’alcool et tentatives de suicide chez l’homme jeune N/A: "Population et méthodes: Il s’agit d’une population exclusivement masculine, représentative des 400 000 sujets sélectionnés tous les ans dans l’ensemble des 10 centres de sélection de métropole [Paris]. 9 758 sujets ont été tirés au sort. 9 270 réponses furent exploitables (taux de participation : 95 %). L’âge moyen est de 20 ans, les extrêmes se situant de 17 à 29 ans. Le taux de réponse aux 119 items de l’autoquestionnaire varie entre 88 % et 99 % selon les questions. L’enquête s’est déroulée entre novembre 1992 et février 1993... Conclusions: ...D’autres facteurs du risque suicidaire, non étudiés en détail, ont été relevés, tels l’usage de drogues illicites, de tabac et l’homosexualité. Parmi les sujets ayant fait un geste suicidaire, un sur deux présente deux facteurs de risque ou plus."

État de la question et pistes de prévention: Synthèse de la journée d’étude organisée le 17 juillet 2001 (PDF Download): "Depression, tentatives de suicide et trise de risque parmis les lecteurs de la presse gay francaise" (Philippe ADAM, Institut de Veille Sanitaire, Saint-Maurice, France): "4753 questionnaires remplis par des hommes... Pour ce qui est des répondants masculins, l ’échantillon se caractérise par une forte représentation des personnes qui vivent en région parisienne (42%) et qui sont allés à l ’université (62%). L ’âge moyen est de 35 ans. La plupart (91%) des répondants se définissent comme gays. La moitié ont un partenaire stable. 12% des répondants sont séropositifs pour le VIH... Nous commencerons par dresser un état des lieux à partir des autodéclarations des répondants. Parmi eux, 17% déclarent avoir déjà fait une tentative de suicide au cours de leur vie... Le graphique précédent montre que le taux de déclaration de tentatives de suicide est déjà à son maximum (27%) parmi les moins de 20 ans puis il décroît régulièrement avec l’âge pour se stabiliser autour de 15% après 35 ans."

Evaluation de l’effet éventuel de la sursuicidalité sur les comportements sexuels à risque chez les jeunes hommes ayant des relations entre eux. Conséquences sur la pratique du dépistage du VIH (PDF Download): "La sursuicidalité des jeunes hommes ayant des relations entre eux (HSH)... Cette étude exploratoire a été réalisée en 2001 en milieu ouvert (à l’occasion d’une manifestation festive) sur un échantillon (n=368; F=55%; âge médian: F=19 ans; [ET=6,7]; H=21 ans; [ET=8]), vivant principalement en région parisienne –sur-représenté en HSH (17%) – rapportant pour environ 12% au moins une tentative de suicide (TS) durant la vie. Les résultats obtenus confirment la sursuicidalité des HSH (30%; p<0.05 ; 6 fois supérieure à celle des hommes hétérosexuels) strictement comparable aux données épidémiologiques disponibles..."

Suicide et tentative de suicide parmi les personnes à orientation homo-/bisexuel: - Prévalence des tentatives de suicide (France) selon le sexe et l’orientation sexuelle... Hommes: 17%. 17%; Femmes: 25%. - Vos avis au sujet de l'homosexualité: "Bonjour à tous.... je m'appelle Vanessa, je vais avoir 20 ans au mois de juin 2003. Je suis homosexuelle (lesbienne, gwenn, comme vous le désirez...). Je n'ai pas choisi d'être comme celà! Je me suis rendue compte malgré moi que j'aimais une femme! Autre chose, c'est grâce à des homophobes comme ceux-ci qu'à mes 17 ans, j'ai fait une tentative de suicide! ...Un jour il a tenté de se suicider mais sa mère est arrivé avant pour éviter la catastrophe. Ensuite il a dit à toutes les personnes qu'il connaissait qu'il était homo. Tout le monde l'a plus où moins accepté mais il est quand même retourné avec un fille à cause de la pression et des regards. Maintenant il vit avec une fille, mais il fait dépression sur dépression, tentative de suicide sur tentative de suicide, il est terriblement malheureux, il ne sort plus beaucoup à cause du regards des gens. En gros, il est en train de se détruire et de mourir tout ça à cause de ces crét... d'homophobes!"

En prison, être homosexuel, c’est la pire des choses: "Mais le pire s’est produit récemment et au moment où vous lisez ce témoignage, mon ami est dans un service psychiatrique, suite à une tentative de suicide. J’ai effectivement appris récemment qu’il a été violé par trois détenus sous les douches quelques jours avant son transfert. Comme d’habitude en prison, ses cris n’ont pas été entendus. Les trois détenus et les surveillants ont probablement tous supposé qu’un homosexuel apprécierait de se faire enculer violemment par des inconnus. En 11 ans, mon ami aura donc subi deux viols en milieu carcéral. Première incarcération : premier viol : transmission du VIH. Deuxième incarcération : second viol : tentative de suicide..."

Les chiffres noirs du suicide N/A: "Selon les nouvelles données de l’Enquête presse gay 2000, que «Têtu» présente en exclusivité, un gay sur six a déjà fait une tentative de suicide. Et les liens entre dépression et prise de risques sexuels font froid dans le dos... Le premier mérite de cette enquête est qu’elle nous donne, enfin, des chiffres précis sur la dépression et les tentatives de suicide chez les gays. Malgré les informations alarmantes en provenance d’autres pays depuis quelques années, ces problématiques, bien documentées chez les hétérosexuels, étaient jusqu’à présent complètement ignorées en ce qui concerne les gays. Parmi les hommes ayant répondu à l’Enquête presse gay, 17 % déclarent avoir déjà fait une tentative de suicide au cours de leur vie, soit environ un homo sur six. Ces données sont similaires à celles de plusieurs enquêtes menées à l’étranger, notamment aux États-Unis..."

Le Refuge: L'Association nationale: Agir contre l'isolement des adolescents attirés par une personne du même sexe. - L'association dresse un constat troublant sur la situation des adolescents homosexuels en France. Face à cet état des lieux, il était urgent de réagir.  Jeanne: "Mon fils s'est suicidé il y a de cela quatre ans, il avait 17 ans. Personne n'a compris ce geste à l'époque, même s'il présentait depuis quelques temps des signes de dépression. Pour moi ce fut un choc. En rangeant ses affaires, j'ai compris, il y a trois an de cela, son " secret ". Je pense que mon fils était homosexuel. J'ai retrouvé des revues érotiques masculines sous son lit et des lettres assez équivoques. Je comprends maintenant cette douleur qui le hantait." -  Le suicide de jeunes homosexuel/le/s. - Et si votre enfant était homosexuel?

L'université euroméditerranéenne des homosexualités: ..."Le ministère s'intéresse également à la santé des lesbiennes, cible du cancer du sein et peu touchée par les campagnes de prévention. Mais surtout, dans le cadre de la prévention du suicide chez les jeunes - l'une des premières causes de mortalité dans cette population -, la DGS mène des actions spécifiques pour prévenir les dégâts générés par l'homophobie. Robert Simon rappelait « il y a un lien très fort entre violation des droits de l'Homme et santé »." - PDF Download N/A). - La place de l'homosexualité dans l'éducation sexuelle en milieu scolaire: L'homosexualité à l'adolescence. - Adolescence, Homosexualité et Violence - Projet Daphné. - Adolescence et homosexualité: souffrance, tabou social et inertie éducative. - Autour du coming-out: Quand la sortie est mal acceptée par la famille Réfléchir avant de sortir de son placard.

Le suicide du jeune gai, réalité ou mythe? - Les adolescents homosexuels et le suicide: "Notre propos ne portera pas sur l'interprétation à donner aux articles de Gageure, mais il nous a semblé important de les évoquer afin de montrer à quel point la question peut être tabou tant chez les homos que chez les hétéros. Pour aborder le plus objectivement possible la question du suicide chez les adolescents homos ou bisexuels, il faut avant tout présenter ces statistiques que certains mettent en doute..." - Controverse sur l'existence d'un risque accru de suicide chez les jeunes homosexuels N/A.

Le suicide révèle la souffrance singulière des jeunes homosexuels: "Les résultats préliminaires du travail de Marc Shelly, médecin de santé publique et responsable du centre de dépistage anonyme et gratuit de l’hôpital parisien Fernand-Widal, font apparaître que, "toutes choses égales par ailleurs" ­ âge, lieu de résidence, niveau d’études, catégorie socioprofessionnelle, structure familiale parentale, modes de vie (couple ou célibat) ­, les jeunes homosexuels ont treize fois plus de risque de faire une tentative de suicide que les jeunes hétérosexuels. Ces résultats confirment les chiffres issus des études américaines, canadiennes et australiennes : elles aboutissent, chez les homosexuels, à des chiffres de "sursuicidalité" variant de six à treize." - Prévention du suicide et pratiques de réseaux-congrès international-Liège du 18 au22/11/2002: " Les résultats obtenus : • confirment la sursuicidalité des HSH (30% ; p<0.05 ; 6 fois supérieure à celle des hommes hétérosexuels..." - Suicide des jeunes : premiers chiffres français. - Péril suicidaire chez les jeunes homos: Une enquête indépendante révèle qu’un homo ou bisexuel homme a treize fois plus de risques de faire une tentative de suicide qu’un hétérosexuel. Extrait de l’article paru dans liberation.fr.

A French politicians outs himself and states the following (N/A): "Je suis et resterai persuadé que plus de visibilité (de tous en général, mais des hommes et femmes publics en particulier) éviterait sans doute un certain nombre de suicides de jeunes (ou moins jeunes homosexuels)." - Les suicides: " En réfléchissant à cette première tentative des années plus tard, il est possible que cela soit le refoulement de mon homosexualité qui était encore endormie, je me souviens étant à l'internat à cette époque dans une école d'horticulture, dans le dortoir le thème homo avait été employé et d'ailleurs certains mecs étaient passé à la pratique pendant la nuit et que moi je ne savais pas ou j'en étais, le sexe, la masturbation était inconnue jusqu'à 20ans environ...  Pourtant de nouveau quelques années plus tard je fais ma deuxième tentative de suicide, juste environ 1an avant mon coming out, pourquoi cette nouvelle tentative de me supprimer, je ne le sais toujours pas, je sais que je suis quelqu'un de très différent des autres, plutôt fragile, c'est comme ça surtout que je suis en pleine période d'anorexie physique et mentale, je veux un suicide rapide et aussi un suicide morbide, j'ai décidé de ne plus manger et de me laisser mourir à petit feu..."

Pas de mission sur le suicide pour Christine Boutin (communiqué Inter-LGBT - 26 mai 2003): "A l'unanimité, le Conseil de l'Interassociative lesbienne, gaie bi et trans, réuni ce samedi 24 mai, a voté une décision demandant à Jean-Pierre Raffarin de retirer la mission qu'il a confiée à Christine Boutin sur les taux de suicide en France (cf. décision ci-dessous). Constatant que "Christine Boutin s'est faite le relais d'une homophobie des plus violentes, et sans doute des plus destructrices auprès des jeunes en construction de leur identité", le Conseil de l'Inter-LGBT estime que "la mission confiée par le Premier Ministre à Christine Boutin est une provocation à l'égard des associations LGBT". Les associations font remarquer que la députée " a offert une tribune inédite à une haine homophobe qu'elle n'inscrira probablement pas dans son rapport comme une cause de suicide"." - Ex Aequo écrit à Christine Boutin sur le suicide des jeunes gays. - Suicide, prévention : deviner le risque chez l'adolescent. - Le suicide à l'adolescence. - Communiqué de Presse - Suicide des Jeunes: "Suite à la publication du rapport 2001 de l'INSERM sur le suicide des jeunes, l'association DEGEL constate qu'une fois de plus le problème du suicide chez les jeunes gais et lesbiennes est totalement occulté. Or, des études Nord-Américaines réalisées au cours des dix dernières années révèlent que le risque d'attenter à sa vie pour un-e jeune homo est sept fois plus important que pour un jeune hétéro. En France aucune étude prise en charge par l’Etat n’a été faite à ce jour."

See Below: Suicidality Study Results.

Belgium: 1998 Study Indicates That Belgium's Gay, Lesbian & Bisexual Youth Have Elevated Suicidality Rates.

Two September 1998 articles, one published in Brussels N/A, and one by Reuters N/A, report that "up to five times as many young lesbians and gay men in Flanders have attempted suicide [compared to] their heterosexual counterparts." Sample Age: 15- to 25-years old.

Suicidality Data:

Lesbian Bisexual Females vs Heterosexual Females: 25% (approx.) vs 5.4% attempted suicide at least once, and 45% vs 24.3% reported having contemplated suicide.

Gay Bisexual Males vs Heterosexual Males: 12.5% (approx) vs 5.9% attempted suicide at least once, and 24.3% vs 16.0% reported having contemplated suicide.

Note: This study is the one referenced on the Unit for Suicide Research's Current Research Page N/A. Study Title: Controlled cross-sectional study of suicidal thoughts, impulses, and behaviour among homosexual adolescents.

Relevant Information: "Controlled cross-sectional study of suicidal thoughts, impulses, and behaviour among homosexual adolescents. Anecdotal reports indicate a substantially increased risk of suicidal behaviour among homosexual adolescents. This study aims at the assessment of suicidal thoughts, impulses, and behaviour among homosexual adolescents by comparing them with heterosexual adolescents. This study is conducted in cooperation with the Dept of Sociology, University Gent (Prof. Dr. J. Vincke)."

The paper was presented at the 7th European Symposium on Suicide and Suicidal Behaviour held from September 9-12 in Gent, Belgium. The symposium's program and abstracts may be downloaded from a Symposium web page N/A.

Published as: van Heeringen C, Vincke J (2000). Suicidal acts and ideation in homosexual and bisexual young people: a study of prevalence and risk factors. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 35: 494-99.  (A PubMed "abstract") Full text N/A available online.

Le taux des tentatives de suicide est plus élevé chez les jeunes homosexuels (6 octobre 1998, Must Scroll): "Une étude menée en Flandres par l'université de Gand montre que les jeunes homosexuels de 15 à 25 ans ont 2 à 5 fois plus de risque de tenter un suicide que les jeunes hétérosexuels. 25% des femmes bisexuelles ou lesbiennes et 13% des hommes homosexuels avaient tenté un suicide, contre 5.4% des femmes et 5.9% des hommes hétérosexuel-le-s. 45% des femmes bisexuelles ou lesbiennes et 33% des hommes homosexuels avaient envisagé un suicide, contre 24% des femmes et 16% des hommes hétérosexuel-le-s. L'étude a été conduite par le sociologue John Vincke et le psychologue Kees van Heeringen auprès de 404 jeunes, homosexuels pour la moitié et présentée au 7ème Symposium Européen « The Suicidal Process: Challenges for Treatment and Prevention » du 9 au 12 septembre.

État de la question et pistes de prévention: Synthèse de la journée d’étude organisée le 17 juillet 2001 (PDF Download).

NOTE: A search of the "Suicide Symposium" document revealed an absence of information related to Professor Vincke's research. A search of European gay/lesbian web sites also produced no relevant information, including the general absence of information indicating a possible elevated risk for suicide problems in the European GLB youth population. Are Europe's GLB children and youth being ignored to death, like the situation has existed in mainstream suicidology in the United States, Canada, Australia, and other countries?

A communication with the study researchers, Dr. Vincke and Dr. van Heeringen, revealed that the presentation of the very important study results at the Suicide Symposium was a "last minute" decision based on the unexpected early tabulation of the study data. It is therefore possible that this study will mark the beginning of the end to the neglect of "homosexuality" issues by Europe's mainstream suicidologists.

See Below: Suicidality Study Results.

Internet Resources for Belgium: - Gayscape -  - Pridenet-  - Association réformatrice des homosexuel(le)s et de leurs amis. - Belgium GLBT Links..

Romania

Police Abuses Against Suspected Homosexuals in Maia Mare and Iasi, Romania N/A: a report on a fact-finding mission conducted by ACCEPT. - Out Of Darkness - minor change in Romania's sodomy law.  - Romanian MPs vote to decriminalise homosexuality. 

"In the course of his inquest, numerous people have been threatened and terrorized; one claims to have been beaten; another was driven to two successive suicide attempts... Kalman K., Gheorghe's closest friends, was taken in by the police in April. Around 10:00 PM that night, after he was released from his interrogation, Kalman came to Gheorghe - who was still recovering from his suicide attempts - saying that the next morning Ivan would come to pick up Gheorghe, and to put the two face-to-face to
recognise that they were a homosexual couple. .. Gabi tried to commit suicide by jumping from a fourth-floor window after this event, because Serban asked him for a 100,000 lei (25$) fine, far more than his pathetically limited resources. This was his second suicide attempt: the other, a year before, was due to unrelated problems.

Looking For Acceptance N/A: "The conference heard testimonies from older participants who had attempted suicide or been subjected to blackmail; almost without exception, most had chosen to live a clandestine life, either with a partner or more likely alone, to escape the attention of a state which in the Ceausescu era, gaoled homosexuals and subjected them to electric shock treatment."

Provocative findings from the LGBT Health Study (Budapest, July 19-20, 2006: Powerpoint Download) by Brian Griffin: “Over 56% of those surveyed in Macedonia [Hungary] report having suicidal thoughts.  In the other countries the proportion ranges on the lower end from 18% in Macedonia and 24% in BiH to just over 42% and 43% in Moldova and Romania respectively.  In terms of those with suicide thoughts going on to attempt suicide, we see that this happens in 50% of the cases in Moldvoa, in almost 45% of the cases in Romania.  The percentages drop considerably in the remaining countries and range from 0% in Macedonia to 18.3% in Hungary.  In Moldova it was noted that of those who reported having suicidal thought, women had a slight majority at 55.6%.  When it comes to a gender breakdown of those reported having attempted suicide, that majority goes up to 60%. “It is significant to note that in three of the countries surveyed, in the region of 60% of respondents felt that these experiences related to their sexual orientation and/or gender identity.” (22-23)  Report asks why these numbers are lower than those in international studies. Instead it should ask if they are higher than suicide rates among non-LGBT youth in country.

Gay Romania News & Reports 2000-06: - Romanian MPs vote to decriminalise homosexuality: "Coman, while unable to give any data or numbers on gays and lesbians in Romania, said human rights watchdogs estimated that thousands of homosexuals had been put in jail, thrown out of their jobs and houses, committed suicide or fled the country since 1989." -  Roamnia: Country Report on the Status of LGBT People: "the mental and emotional status, self-acceptance and personal development of the LGBT may become (at least) unbalanced, and it may result in the internalisation of negative feelings that, in the end, may lead to self-hatred, depression, exclusion from society’s public life and, sometimes, even suicide."     

See Below: Suicidality Study Results.

Slovenia

"Tednik" also conducted an interview with gay leader Sandi Perdih at the largest cemetery in Ljubljana, the capital, as Perdihpaid his respects to gays who were driven to suicide by homophobia N/A. 

A Campaign against intolerance towards gays and lesbians: "...one third of Slovenia's population wouldn't want to have a gay person for a co-worker or a neighbour." A 1995 Public opinion Poll.

Global Gayz - Gay Slovenia: Gay Slovenia News & Reports 2000-05 & Gay Slovenia News & Reports 2006.

Internet Resources for Slovenia: - - Slovenian Queer Resources Directory -  - Gayscape. 

Yugoslavia

Arkadija - An organization described in Yahoo and in other resources but not on line anymore. Description:  "First ever lesbian & gay organization established in Serbia. It was founded in 1990 by several enthusiasts as an attempt to beat the despair of personal isolation and constant humiliation." This is a social context which would lead one to predict the existence of a GLB suicide Problem  in Serbia but this potential problem is not mentioned at the web sight, nor in the section Lesbians in Yugoslavia. Is there a GLBT suicide problem in Serbia? Gay Serbians find acceptance is a casualty of war. 

Gay Serbians find acceptance is a casualty of war: "Maljkovic felt the crackdown even harder than his colleagues, for he was weeks away from cohosting the first gay radio show, GAYTO! In a culture where doctors still urge electroshock therapy to "cure" homosexuality and where celebrities and intellectuals alike openly disdain gays and lesbians, Maljkovic hoped GAYTO! would change some minds." "'All our efforts to change the opinion of the Serbian population toward accepting homosexuality as a normal aspect of sexuality are now destroyed. I want to go,' he said."

People who don't fight back: "This is one of the numerous situations in which our state has expressed its homophobic attitude. Police raids and gay bashing by the state employees is not an unusual occurrence. In July, 1994, Serbia withdrew its law
prohibiting male homosexuality.  Still, police violence against gay men continues unabated, and young men feel free to bash gay people at random, knowing well that gay men cannot turn to the police for help."

From the -  At-Home with Joan - site: At-Home with Lepa Mladjenovic - looks at male aggression, violence and war as well as the situations of women and queers in  FR Yugoslavia and the Balkans, and discusses the current struggle for democracy in FR Yugoslavia.

Global Gayz: Gay Yugoslavia/Serbia News & Reports 1997-04.

See Below: Suicidality Study Results.

Information Request

Please forward any information related to European GLB Youth having suicide problems to  pierre@youth-suicide.com . The information may be in the form of mainstream articles (as in the Irish article noted above), or anecdotal. For example, an individual may have encountered sufficient cases of GLB individuals who have attempted suicide to strongly suspect the existence of a significant problem. Any relevant articles in local GLB magazines would be appreciated, including parts of articles.

Norway

Note: - The First GLB Suicide Web Page for an Individual European Country is Now Available (August, 2000) - Norway's Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Suicide Problems. The page contains all the information located here and additional information on the Hegna et al. (1999) study of Norwegian Gay and Lesbian Individuals. Plus more recently published study results. See tabulated suicidality results below. 

The possible GLB suicide problem in Norway was addressed (possibly for the first time in 1997) via the paper The need for developing strategies for suicide prevention among young lesbian women and gay men: empirical and theoretical rationales written on the subject. The paper's abstract is available online N/A - via the Internet Journal of Health Promotion.
Authors: Asle Offerdal (Studenenes psykiske helsetjeneste, Universitetet i..Bergen, Ha-ns Tanksgate 11 N-5028 BERGEN, and Norman Anderssen (Research Center for Health Promotion, University of ' Bergen, Oisteinsgt.3, N-5007 BERGEN.
The Paper was presented at the Conference on the Status of Nordic Health Promotion Research: Progress during the Decade after the Ottawa Charter.

Homosexuality by Marte Nathalie: "A statistic bureau in Norway recently released a study on the life-quality amongst young people that love someone from the same sex. The results are shocking. One out of four had tried to commit suicide! Half of the people asked didn't dare to tell even their closest friends that they were gay. Many had gone through tough times with their families, some had even been thrown out on the streets when they told they were gay."

Information related to GLB suicide problems in university-based studies would be of great value. A translation of the basic information will be greatly appreciated if the study is not in English or French.

Against Nature? - an exhibition on animal homosexuality.   

See Below: Suicidality Study Results.

Sweden

Is there a GLB youth suicide problem in Sweden? ... A New Web Page!

Although information related to a potential suicide problem for GLB youth seems to be non-existent, the reasons for predicting such a problem - as done for Norway - would be the same. In fact the socio-psychological situation described for GLB youth in Sweden  is remarkable the same as the North American situation where GLB youth are reported to be at greater risk for suicidality. A summary is given in Lesbian and Gay the Swedish Way (A RSFL Pamphlet) in the subsection Young Lesbians and Gays:

The teenage years are the time when you seriously begin to discover feelings that deal with love, relationships and sex. You talk with your friends about whom you're interested in and how to meet him or her. But friends usually assume that everyone's interested in the opposite sex. And frequently the attitude towards homosexuality is openly negative, especially among young men.

Many homosexuals are worried that their friends will discover their real feelings. Sometimes they then choose to avoid their friends. Others try to "prove" their heterosexuality by having many affairs or sexual contacts with the opposite sex. Younger homosexuals claim that the lack of role models and the total invisibility of homosexuality make it difficult for them to come out when young.

For young men there's only "dirty old men" or "nelly queens" to compare themselves with. They can't recognize themselves in either of these images. Young lesbians experience total silence - lesbians, or "dykes", don't seem to exist. In school when feelings are discussed in sex education or health classes, homosexual youth become even more invisible.

In most cases the teaching focuses on heterosexual youths' feelings and sexuality. At worst, homosexual feelings are written off as "something that goes away" when you get older.

Martinez M, Schröttle M, et al (2006). State of European research on the prevalence of interpersonal violence and its impact on health and human rights. Co-ordination Action on Human Rights Violations (CAHRV). Internet: http://www.cahrv.uni-osnabrueck.de/reddot/CAHRVreportPrevalence(1).pdf .

Excerpt (Sweden):

In Sweden three prevalence studies on violence against homosexuals and bisexuals have been conducted in 1981, 1996, and 2004. The two most recent studies are discussed here.

Study in 1996 In the study carried out in 1996, 25% of the 2000 participants stated that they had been a victim of different types of hate crimes due to sexual orientation. Men (28%) were more often victims compared to women (20%). From those victimized 20% had also been exposed to harassment in the work place.

Study in 2004 In the new study carried out in 2004, with 2000 participants, the rate of victimization was 52%. The situation has changed in relation to the study of 1996. The number of male victims is 51% and of females 53%. Young persons were most often victims of this type of crime. Seventy-seven percent of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons (LGBT) under 20 years of age stated that they had been victims of some sort of hate crime. Of participants between 20 and 30 years of age, 64% said so; of middle aged persons 40-50%; and of 60 to 70 year old participants about 10%. Twelve percent claimed they had been victims of crimes of violence, and 11% of sex crimes. Perpetrators were relatives, neighbors, pupils, students, craftsmen, storekeepers, colleagues and authorities. Slander, insult and verbal harassment are the most common types of offences. Thus, hate crimes against LGBT persons in Sweden have doubled since 1996. This is the conclusion of the new study by criminologist Eva Tiby at Stockholm University.

See Below: Suicidality Study Results.

Germany

A study summary from - Statistiques relatives aux tentatives de suicide commises par les adolescents homosexuel(le)s N/A: 217 GLB individuals aged 15 - 27 years. 18% have attempted suicide at least once, 50% responded to negatively in their families, and 66% were abuse verbally and/or physically in their families. Reference cited:"Sie liebt sie. Er liebt er." Etude berlinoise sur la situation psychosociale des adolescents homosexuels (217 personnes entre 15 et 27 ans), Administration du Sénat, Berlin, 1999 (www.sensjs.berlin.de). Study Summary (Etude et statistiques sur les jeunes gays en Suisse Romande): 18% des adolescents homosexuel(le)s affirment avoir tenté au moins une fois de mettre fin à leur jours. A l'annonce de leur homosexualité, plus de 50% des adolescents reçoivent une réaction négative de la part de leur environnement familial. 66% affirment subir des violences verbales, voire physiques au sein de leur famille. Plus de 50% des adolescents interrogés affirment (ab)user de substances nocives (tabac, alcool, drogues) pour amenuiser leur mal-être. "Sie liebt sie. Er liebt er." Etude berlinoise sur la situation psychosociale des adolescents homosexuels (217 personnes entre 15 et 27 ans), Administration du Sénat, Berlin, 1999 (www.sensjs.berlin.de).  

See Below: Suicidality Study Results.

Italy

Enquête Italienne
L'Associazione gay e lesbica de Florence a mis en place une enquête sur internet à laquelle 800 gais et lesbiennes du monde entier ont répondu (les deux4iers des réponses provenaient d'Europe). Cette enquête fait suite à une série de suicides de jeunes gais en Sardaigne, en Sicile (immolation par le feu) et en Lombardie ainsi qu'à la mise à mort publique d'un jeune homosexuel par son père à Foggia dans les Pouilles. Les résultats de l'enquête internet sont frappants. Si 65 % des gais et 61 % des lesbiennes avouent avoir pensé au suicide, 22 % des hommes et 21 % des femmes ont effectivement un jour tenté de mettre fin à leur jour. 28 % des répondants ont effectué un traitement psychologique ou psychiatrique (11 % contre leur volonté). Enfin la moitié environ des ques­tionnaires fait état de violences subies en raison de l'orientation sexuelle, ces violences pouvant être physiques (le plus souvent les parents et les camarades d'école), psychologiques ou sexuelles. Source: http://homoedu.free.fr/suicide.htm N/A

Translation: 800 Italian gay and lesbian individuals surveyed. 65% of gay males and 61% of lesbians report having thought about suicide. Suicide attempt(s) reported by 22% and 21%, respectively. 28% report having received psychiatric treatment, 11% against their will.

Situation of lesbians and gays in Council of Europe member states N/A (Doc. 8755, 6 June 2000, Report by Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights) - Rapporteur: Mr Csaba Tabajdi, Hungary, Socialist Group: "In Italy, for example, in a study within the framework of the EU funded Daphne programme 40 % of respondents had contemplated suicide and 13% had attempted suicide. The age in which thoughts about suicide were most prevalent was between 14 and 16, whereas the suicide attempts tended to take place in the following two years." Cited Reference: "UK:Mason, A. and Palmer, A. (1996) - "Queer Bashing -- a national survey of hate crimes against lesbians and gay men". London: Stonewall.Bertozzo, G. (1998): "From Internet: The Voices of 'Quella Ragazza, Quel Ragazzo' (That Girl, That Boy). Finisterrae, nº 1, October, Firenze (Italy)." - Situation des lesbiennes et des gays dans les États membres du Conseil de l'Europe:  "En Italie, par exemple, selon une enquête réalisée dans le cadre du programme Daphné financé par l'Union européenne, 40 % des personnes interrogées avaient envisagé le suicide, et 13 % avaient tenté de se suicider. C'est dans la tranche d'âge des 14-16 ans que prévalaient les idées de suicide, tandis que les tentatives de suicide avaient généralement lieu entre 16 et 18 ans."

Le suicide de jeunes homosexuel/le/s: "En Italie, par exemple, selon une enquête réalisée dans le cadre du programme Daphné financé par l'Union européenne, 40 % des personnes interrogées avaient envisagé le suicide, et 13 % avaient tenté de se suicider. C'est dans la tranche d'âge des 14-16 ans que prévalaient les idées de suicide, tandis que les tentatives de suicide avaient généralement lieu entre 16 et 18 ans."

Italy has been rocked by the suicide of a teenager who was subjected to anti-gay taunts at school:  According to Italy's Gay Help Line, more than one third of the calls it gets are from students distressed by taunting and bullying at school. On Friday homophobic graffiti was sprayed across the front of a well-known gay and lesbian bookshop in Milan. Also on Friday, the Rome chapter of Arcigay claimed that local priests were pressuring mothers to have their gay children exorcised. Arcigay also complained about RAI state TV broadcaster news reports implying that the dead boy was picked on not because he was gay but because he was seen as a 'swot'..."

Turin: Suicide d'un «étudiant modèle»: "L'Italie est sous le choc après le suicide de Matteo, un adolescent de 16 ans. Dans une lettre qu'il a laissé à ses proches, il disait être la victime d'humiliations constantes de la part de ses camarades, qui le traitaient de «pédé».

Pietrantoni L (1999). Adolescenza, Tentato Suicidio E Orientamento Sessuale: Uno Studio Sui Correlati Psicosociali. Minerva Psichiatrica, 40: 75-80. Full Text.   


See Below: Suicidality Study Results. 

Hungary

A father wrote, that his son was gay N/A. His wife, the sons mother, couldnt accept it and attacked her son. He committed suicide. She couldn't cope with that and she also committed suicide."

Provocative findings from the LGBT Health Study (Budapest, July 19-20, 2006: Powerpoint Download) by Brian Griffin: “Over 56% of those surveyed in Macedonia [Hungary] report having suicidal thoughts.  In the other countries the proportion ranges on the lower end from 18% in Macedonia and 24% in BiH to just over 42% and 43% in Moldova and Romania respectively.  In terms of those with suicide thoughts going on to attempt suicide, we see that this happens in 50% of the cases in Moldvoa, in almost 45% of the cases in Romania.  The percentages drop considerably in the remaining countries and range from 0% in Macedonia to 18.3% in Hungary.  In Moldova it was noted that of those who reported having suicidal thought, women had a slight majority at 55.6%.  When it comes to a gender breakdown of those reported having attempted suicide, that majority goes up to 60%. “It is significant to note that in three of the countries surveyed, in the region of 60% of respondents felt that these experiences related to their sexual orientation and/or gender identity.” (22-23)  Report asks why these numbers are lower than those in international studies. Instead it should ask if they are higher than suicide rates among non-LGBT youth in country. (Download Page: Project Workshop, July 2006, Budapest)  

See Below: Suicidality Study Results.  

Denmark

Qin P, Agerbo E, Mortensen PB (2003).  Suicide risk in relation to socioeconomic, demographic, psychiatric, and familial factors: a national register-based study of all suicides in Denmark, 1981-1997. American Journal of Psychiatry, 160(4):765-72. (Abstract) (Full Text) - "...registered [same-sex] partners included as a separate category in the analysis had an odds ratio of 4.31 (95% CI= 2.23–8.36) in the crude analysis and 3.63 (95% CI=1.71– 7.67) in analyses with adjustment for other factors in the full model [for having committed suicide compared to opposite-sex married couples]". Note: This is a First-Time Research Result! See: Frisch M, Bronnum-Hansen H (2009). Mortality among men and women in same-sex marriage: a national cohort study of 8333 Danes. American Journal of Public Health, 99(1): 133-7. Abstract. After 1995, higher risk of death in same-sex marriages occur in first 3 year of the marriage. Note: The paper does NOT mention the Qin et al (2003) suicide results (above), and suicide is only mentioned as possibly being implicated in the higher risk of death for same-sex couples.

Mathy RM, Cochran SD, Olsen J, Mays VM (2009). The association between relationship markers of sexual orientation and suicide: Denmark, 1990-2001. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology. [Epub ahead of print]. From Abstract: "Using data from death certificates issued between 1990 and 2001 and population estimates from the Danish census, we estimated suicide mortality risk among individuals classified into one of three marital/cohabitation statuses: current/formerly in same-sex RDPs; current/formerly heterosexually married; or never married/registered. RESULTS: Risk for suicide mortality was associated with this proxy indicator of sexual orientation, but only significantly among men. The estimated age-adjusted suicide mortality risk for RDP men was nearly eight times greater than for men with positive histories of heterosexual marriage and nearly twice as high for men who had never married."

Note 1

Study (France): Homosexual males are 13 times more likely to have attempted suicide, compared to heterosexual males. Result for the sample of 993 men - sampled in 3 locations - were generated by controlling for age, living area, education level, professional status, parental status, marital/partner status.

Homosexual/Heterosexual Male Study Results Reported by Chemin (2005) in Le Monde: "Les résultats préliminaires du travail de Marc Shelly, médecin de santé publique et responsable du centre de dépistage anonyme et gratuit de l'hôpital parisien Fernand-Widal, font apparaître que, "toutes choses égales par ailleurs" ­ - âge, lieu de résidence, niveau d'études, catégorie socioprofessionnelle, structure familiale parentale, modes de vie (couple ou célibat) ­-, les jeunes homosexuels ont treize fois plus de risque de faire une tentative de suicide que les jeunes hétérosexuels. Ces résultats confirment les chiffres issus des études américaines, canadiennes et australiennes : elles aboutissent, chez les homosexuels, à des chiffres de "sursuicidalité" variant de six à treize.

Les chiffres français ont été obtenus à partir d'un échantillon de 993 hommes âgés de 16 à 39 ans. Tous ont raconté leur trajectoire "socio-biographique" en remplissant un long questionnaire informatisé installé, de 2000 à 2004, sur trois sites : le festival de lutte contre le sida Solidays, qui a lieu tous les ans en région parisienne, le Centre d'information et de documentation pour la jeunesse (CIDJ), à Paris, et le centre de sélection des appelés du contingent de Blois, dans le Loir-et-Cher."

Preliminary Results for a subsample of the above study (Shelly et al. 2002): Homosexual males are 6 times more that risk for having attempted suicide than are heterosexual males. Suicide Attempt incidence for homosexual males: 30%.

The Same Study: Homosexual males more at risk for having been sexually abused as children. Internet Reference: http://www.thewarning.info/IMG/doc/aremedia_abus.pdf .

Summary of Study Status: "Menée entre 1998 et 2003 auprès de 933 hommes, âgés de 16 à 39 ans, l'étude réalisée par Marc Shelly (médecin en santé publique à l'hôpital parisien Fernand-Widal ) et David Moreau (ingénieur de recherche à l'association de prévention Aremedia) a été préparée et validée par Pascale Tubert-Bitter, directrice de recherche à l'Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale (Inserm) à l'unité biostatistique et épidémiologie. Les résultats de cette enquête menée en dehors des associations et chercheurs LGBT sont encore en cours d’étude, seuls les résultats sur les homos et les bisexuels masculins étant actuellement totalement traités. " Internet Reference:  http://v2.e-llico.com/article-retro.htm?articleID=4003&rubrique=actu&oldRubrique=actu .

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