David Ortiz Paredes, Tara Chanady, Kinda Wassef, Rod Knight and Olivier Ferlatte authored a publication that explored the mental healthcare access experiences of LGBTQ+ youth who consume cannabis.
This is the first scientific publication of Qollab’s Cannapix project!
Cannapix was a photovoice study with 46 LGBTQ+ individuals aged 15 to 24 who took photographs related to their cannabis use, mental health and sexual and gender identities. These photographs were later discussed in interviews to better understand the intersection of cannabis use and mental health among LGBTQ+ youth.
What did we learn from this work?
This publication explores the perspectives, needs, and motivations of LGBTQ+ youth who use cannabis when accessing mental healthcare services.
First, we learned that LGBTQ+ youth sought mental health services facilitating introspection to better understand their sexual and gender identities and mental health. Second, beyond health professionals with expertise in LGBTQ+ realities, participants sought affirming care. However, they often felt judged by providers about their LGBTQ+ identity and their cannabis use. Third, participants described the mental health access experiences as uncertain and taxing, which further impacted their mental well-being. Fourth, participants recognized that cannabis use help them mitigate their mental health struggles, but they also stressed the importance of resilience to tackle access challenges.
What are the implications of this work?
There are two take-home messages in this publication: (1) LGBTQ+ youth seek holistic mental healthcare delivery that goes beyond medication provision and which in addition supports their introspective processes by encouraging personal reflection to develop a deeper understanding of themselves. (2) Beyond LGBTQ+-specific knowledge, openness, communication and trust between health professionals and LGBTQ+ youth is crucial to counteract the feelings of stigma experienced by LGBTQ+ youth who use cannabis.
Together, holistic mental health care delivery, affirming providers, and a trusting dynamic in mental health services are imperative to relieving LGBTQ+ youth of the burden of relying on their resilience to create their own mental health access.
We thank participants for sharing their experiences with us. This study would not have been possible without their generosity, engagement, and creativity.
