New study reveals escalating mental health crisis among LGBTQ+ youth in the U.S.

A groundbreaking new report from The Trevor Project, the leading suicide prevention organization for LGBTQ+ youth, reveals that mental health struggles among LGBTQ+ young people in the United States are worsening at alarming rates.

The findings come from the organization’s first-ever longitudinal study, Project SPARK Interim Report: A Longitudinal Study of Risk and Protective Factors in LGBTQ+ Youth Mental Health, which tracked 1,689 LGBTQ+ youth aged 13 to 24 across the country from September 2023 to March 2025. Data collected every six months examined how experiences of discrimination, threats, and support shape mental health over time.

The report paints a stark picture. Over the course of one year, rates of mental health challenges among participants rose sharply:

• Anxiety symptoms increased from 57% to 68%
• Depressive symptoms climbed from 48% to 54%
• Suicidal thoughts grew from 41% to 47%

While suicide attempts among participants slightly decreased from 11% to 7%, these figures remain significantly higher than national averages for cisgender heterosexual youth. Transgender and nonbinary (TGNB) youth, as well as adolescents aged 13 to 17, faced the highest risks. TGNB youth were nearly twice as likely as their cisgender peers to report anxiety (70% vs. 42%) and suicidal thoughts (53% vs. 28%).

The study also highlights widespread victimization and discrimination. About one-third of participants reported being physically harassed or threatened due to their sexual orientation, and two-fifths of TGNB youth reported harassment related to their gender identity. Discrimination was similarly pervasive, affecting over half of all participants and two-thirds of TGNB respondents.

A particularly troubling trend is the rising exposure to conversion therapy, the harmful and discredited practice aimed at changing a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. Reports of being threatened with conversion therapy doubled from 11% to 22%, while actual exposure increased from 9% to 15% over the study period.

“While many of the findings in this study are devastating, they are not surprising,” said Jaymes Black, CEO of The Trevor Project. “LGBTQ+ young people continue to face elevated stigma and political rhetoric, which take a serious toll on their mental health. Our research clearly shows that the way LGBTQ+ youth are treated in this country harms their health and risks their lives – and it is only getting worse.”

The study also identifies protective factors that can help LGBTQ+ youth thrive. Over one year, feelings of support at school rose from 53% to 58%, and help-seeking behavior increased dramatically: the proportion of youth turning to mental health professionals during a crisis doubled from 32% to 64%, while those seeking support from friends jumped from 45% to 73%.

“This report provides one of the first national-scale portraits of LGBTQ+ youth mental health over time, rather than a one-time snapshot,” said Dr. Ronita Nath, Vice President of Research at The Trevor Project. “Understanding which experiences precede changes in mental health allows us to design interventions that truly make a difference.”

The Trevor Project hopes these findings will inform families, educators, healthcare providers, policymakers, and community organizations working to support LGBTQ+ youth. The ongoing study will continue to track participants to uncover long-term trends and causal links that can guide evidence-based policies and interventions. The full report is available to download here.

For anyone in crisis or needing support, The Trevor Project’s trained counselors are available 24/7 at 1-866-488-7386, via chat at TheTrevorProject.org/Get-Help, or by texting START to 678678.