Vincent M. B. Silenzio ^1*, Juan B. Pena ¹, Paul R. Duberstein ¹, Julie Cerel ², Kerry L. Knox ¹

¹ University of Rochester
² University of Kentucky

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: v.m.silenzio{at}rochester.edu.

	Abstract

Same-gender sexual orientation has been repeatedly shown to exert an independent influence on suicidal ideation and suicide attempts, suggesting that risk factors and markers may differ in relative importance between lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals and others. Analyses of recent data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health revealed that lesbian, gay, and bisexual respondents reported higher rates of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts than did heterosexual respondents and that drug use and depression were more strongly associated with adverse outcomes among heterosexual respondents than among lesbian, gay, and bisexual respondents.

Key Words: Adolescent Health, Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender Persons, Mental Health, Surveys, Alcohol, Drugs