Survey: Homosexual teens fives times more likely to consider suicide

By Staff Writer

A new study reveals that lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) teenagers are significantly more likely than heterosexual children to experience suicidal thoughts.

According to Reuters, the report, which appears in the online edition of the journal Pediatrics, is based on surveys of more than 30,000 high school juniors. They found that approximately 5 percent of respondents identified themselves as lesbian, gay or bisexual.

Of those students, nearly 22 percent reported that they had attempted suicide within the past year, which was more than five times the rate for teens who identified themselves as straight. Suicide attempts were more common among respondents who said that they suffer from depression, drink alcohol frequently and are victimized by their peers.

The study's author, a professor from Columbia University, said that schools should consider changing their social environments to allows teens to be comfortable with their sexual orientation, the news provider reported.

Among teens in grades nine through 12, approximately 15 percent of all students reported that they have seriously considered suicide, according to a survey from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention.

Troubled teens may benefit from therapeutic summer camps, many of which are designed to help adolescents overcome emotional problems.