Bisexual women “more like likely to suffer depression than men”
A new study in the US says bisexual women are more likely to suffer from depression and to binge drink than men.
George Mason University found that there was a high likelihood of depression and alcohol abuse for bisexual teenagers regardless of gender.
However, men appeared to experience a reduced risk of abuse as they aged. Women’s chances remained static.
Researchers found that women identified as straight or gay were less prone to depression than those who were bisexual. Those participants said that they felt “invisible”.
The study looked at sexual identity, behaviour and attraction. These traits were compared with the subjects’ health issues.
Lead researcher Lisa Lindly said: “There tends to be this expectation or standard that a person picks one sexual identity and sticks with it. I think there’s a lot of misunderstanding about bisexuals. I think their risk has a lot more to do with stigma”.
This summer, a study by Northwestern University confirmed bisexual men existed.
The study by George Mason University is published in the American Journal of Public Health.
