CAMH study shows mental health services don’t meet the needs of bisexual people

Celebrate Bisexuality Day, marked annually around the world on September 23, is a day to celebrate bisexual people and their lives, history, culture and community, making it the perfect day to unveil the Bisexuality, Mental Health and Emotional Well-Being Research Project results.

Funded by CAMH’s Community Research Capacity Enhancement Program (CRCEP), the project was a joint initiative of Dr. Lori Ross, Scientist with CAMH’s Social, Equity and Health Unit and Anna Travers, Director, Rainbow Health Ontario, Sherbourne Health Centre.

The research results showed that the marginalization of bisexual people extends to the health care system and has far reaching negative effects on their mental health and well-being. Previous research suggests that bisexual people are more likely to seek help with mental health issues than heterosexuals, but many bisexuals who participated in this project expressed frustration when interacting with the healthcare system. 

The results of the Bisexuality, Mental Health and Emotional Well-Being Research Project, a partner initiative of CAMH and Sherbourne Health, was launched on September 23, 2008. From left, Kwasi Kafele, CAMH Director, Corporate Diversity; Dr. Lori Ross, CAMH Scientist and co-leading researcher; Anna Travers, Director, Rainbow Health Ontario, Sherbourne Health Centre; and Cheryl Dobinson, lead bisexual community researcher.

The Ontario-wide project evaluated the experiences of bisexual people based on three main determinants of health: social factors, including biphobia and stigma; interpersonal relationships, including those with the LGBT community, the workplace and partners; and internal factors, including self-acceptance and identity struggles.

“Bisexual people we interviewed felt that therapists and other health care providers need a better understanding of the continuums of sexuality and gender,” said Dr. Lori Ross. Ross added that gaps in the system may point to the need for specialized clinical training. “Many participants reported that they felt that some queer-friendly therapists were uncomfortable dealing with certain mental health issues, while mainstream mental health clinicians did not have an understanding of the specific challenges faced by bisexual people.”

While many of the respondents also had positive experiences with queer-friendly clinicians, the report shows that the lack of understanding of bisexuality also extends into the queer community. “Some clinicians, even those from the LGBT community, have difficulty seeing bisexuality as a healthy and legitimate sexual orientation,” said Anna Travers.

Dr. Lori Ross of CAMH’s Social, Equity and Health Unit explains how their research project identified three levels of determinants of mental health in evaluating the experiences of bisexual people: social factors, interpersonal relationships and internal factors such as self-acceptance.

The research explores these problems, along with other difficulties regarding common beliefs about bisexuality and acceptance among friends, families and the public. It makes a number of suggestions for fostering a more inclusive and effective mental health system for bisexual people, including education for providers and the public along with increased resources for mental health.

Ontario community mental health and addictions agencies are eligible for research funding from CAMH through CRCEP. The program’s goal is to enhance CAMH’s research interactions with community partners to help build research capacity among organizations addressing addiction and mental health issues.

The evening’s MC, Cheryl Dobinson, who was also the lead bisexual community researcher for the study, explained the significance of Celebrate Bisexuality Day. “The aim is to promote bi visibility and celebrate the wonderful diversity of bisexual lives,” she said. “The 1999 brainchild of three US bi activists, this celebration of bisexuality was conceived as a response to the prejudice and marginalization of bisexual people by some in both straight and queer communities.”

Conclusions 1) Generally, mental health services in Ontario are not meeting the needs of bisexual people. 2) Ontario mental health service providers show a general lack of understanding of, and education around bisexuality. 3) Changes are needed to improve the quality and accessibility of mental health care for bisexual people in Ontario. Next steps Research • The research team is in the process of using what we learned in this study to develop a larger study, including both interviews and questionnaires to examine how the issues identified in this study affect the mental health of bisexual people over time. Action • The Sherbourne Health Centre now offers a new group for bisexual people called The B Side (contact: thebside@sherbourne.on.ca) • An Ontario-wide list serv is planned for bisexual people to network and share support • Rainbow Health Ontario will be developing a directory of LGBT-positive health service providers, including a listing of providers with specific expertise in working with bi people. • CAMH will ensure that concerns of bisexual people identified in this study are included as priorities for its LGBTTTQQI Strategy (PDF) (a collaboration of the CAMH Diversity Programs Office, Provincial Services, Clinical Services, Research Department, LGBT Caucus, and community partners). • The CAMH lead researcher for this project has identified bisexual mental health as a top research priority for the next five years.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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