Gay and bi men's mental health in the UK: key figures and where to get help

Key figures

1. 1. In a survey of 5,799 gay and bisexual men living in England, Scotland and Wales, 21.3% screened positive for depression and 17.1% for anxiety.

   Depression measured with PHQ-9 and anxiety with GAD-7, using multi-channel community-based sampling of men aged 16 and over.

   Source: Hickson et al. (2016), “Mental health inequalities among gay and bisexual men in England, Scotland and Wales”, Journal of Public Health — https://researchonline.lshtm.ac.uk/id/eprint/4650274/

2. 2. A meta-analysis pooling 12 UK population health surveys covering 94,818 adults found that people who identified as lesbian or gay had a higher prevalence of common mental disorder than heterosexual adults, with the association strongest at age 55 and over (odds ratio 2.06).

   Under-35s showed an odds ratio of 1.78 (95% CI 1.40–2.26) after adjustment for a range of covariates.

   Source: Semlyen, King, Varney & Hagger-Johnson (2016), “Sexual orientation and symptoms of common mental disorder or low wellbeing: combined meta-analysis of 12 UK population health surveys”, BMC Psychiatry — https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/58695/

3. 3. Among 3,077 gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men surveyed across Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, 19.9% reported moderate-to-severe anxiety and 14.4% moderate-to-severe depression.

   Source: Frankis et al. (2021), SMMASH2 study, “Mental health, potential minority stressors and resilience”, BMC Public Health — https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12889-021-12030-x

4. 4. In the same study, experiencing any form of relationship abuse in the previous 12 months significantly increased the odds of moderate-to-severe anxiety (odds ratio 1.50), while a stronger sense of coherence — one measure of resilience — reduced the odds of both depression (0.85) and anxiety (0.89).

   This is the minority-stress and resilience finding: stressors and protective factors both operate on measurable mental health outcomes.

   Source: Frankis et al. (2021), SMMASH2 study, BMC Public Health — https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12889-021-12030-x

5. 5. Stonewall's YouGov research with 5,000 LGBT people across England, Scotland and Wales found that half (52%) had experienced depression in the previous year, and that one in seven (14%) had avoided seeking healthcare for fear of discrimination from staff.

   The same report records that 12% of gay, bi and trans men said they had self-harmed in the previous year.

   Source: Stonewall, “LGBT in Britain — Health” (2018) — https://www.stonewall.org.uk/resources/lgbt-britain-health-2018

6. 6. Across 94,239 patients who reported their sexual orientation in seven NHS talking therapy services in London between 2013 and 2023, gay men were more likely than heterosexual men to achieve reliable recovery from anxiety and depression (odds ratio 1.23, 95% CI 1.13–1.34) and less likely to drop out of therapy.

   Retrospective cohort of 100,389 patients in total; the finding suggests that when gay and bi men do reach therapy, it works at least as well for them as for anyone else.

   Source: Kent et al. (2025), “Psychological therapy outcomes by sexual orientation and gender: a retrospective cohort study”, Psychological Medicine — https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/psychological-medicine/article/psychological-therapy-outcomes-by-sexual-orientation-and-gender-a-retrospective-cohort-study/67C69B792BD1FB468603889557945ACA

Where to get help

If you are in immediate danger, call 999.

Questions people ask

Are gay and bi men in the UK more likely to experience anxiety or depression?

UK evidence consistently points that way. A meta-analysis of 12 UK population health surveys covering 94,818 adults found higher prevalence of common mental disorder among people identifying as lesbian or gay than among heterosexual adults, and a community survey of 5,799 gay and bisexual men in England, Scotland and Wales found 21.3% screening positive for depression and 17.1% for anxiety.

What is minority stress?

Minority stress describes the additional, ongoing stress that comes from living with stigma, discrimination and the expectation of rejection — on top of the ordinary stresses everyone carries. In the SMMASH2 survey of 3,077 gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, recent relationship abuse raised the odds of moderate-to-severe anxiety, while resilience measured as a sense of coherence lowered the odds of both anxiety and depression.

Do gay and bi men avoid seeking help?

Some do, and fear of how they will be treated is part of it. Stonewall's 2018 health research with 5,000 LGBT people found that one in seven (14%) had avoided seeking healthcare because they feared discrimination from staff.

Does therapy work for gay and bi men?

The best UK data available says yes. A retrospective cohort study across seven NHS talking therapy services in London, covering 94,239 patients who reported their sexual orientation, found gay men were more likely than heterosexual men to achieve reliable recovery from anxiety and depression, with lower drop-out.

Where can a gay or bi man in the UK get help today?

You can self-refer to NHS talking therapies in England without a GP, call Samaritans free on 116 123 at any hour, contact Switchboard's LGBT+ helpline on 0800 0119 100, or reach LGBT Foundation on 0345 3 30 30 30. For urgent but non-emergency mental health help, call NHS 111 and choose the mental health option.

Can I reuse the figures on this page?

Yes. Every figure here links to its primary source, and each is written as a complete sentence so it can be quoted on its own. Please cite the original study or organisation, and a link back to this page is appreciated.