Disparities in Mental Health Care Access Among Persons Differing in Sexual Identity: Nationally Representative Findings

OBJECTIVE: The authors sought to describe disparities in three outcomes: self-reported mental health, need for mental health care, and barriers to care at the intersection of sexual identity and sex. METHODS: Data from the 2015 Association of American Medical Colleges Consumer Survey of Health Care Access (N=5,932) were analyzed in regression analyses to estimate relationships among sex, sexual identity, and all three outcomes. RESULTS: Compared with heterosexual men, bisexual women reported the poorest mental health (adjusted prevalence ratio [APR]=0.42, 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.35-0.51) and the greatest number of barriers to care (APR=2.29, 95% CI=1.77-2.97), whereas gay-lesbian women reported the most frequent need for care (APR=1.67, 95% CI=1.28-2.18). CONCLUSIONS: The findings support existing knowledge on health inequities among sexual minority groups and situate these disparities in the context of unequal access to behavioral and mental health care. As such, addressing barriers to care is paramount in efforts to address sexual orientation-related disparities in behavioral and mental health.