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As lawmakers target the community, the need for mental health services skyrockets. FOLX Health CEO Liana Douillet Guzmán tells The Advocate about a new service that's helping.
LGBTQ+ rights are under attack in the United States, and during an election year, the onslaught shows no sign of slowing down.
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As lawmakers target the community, the need for mental health services skyrockets, and yet so few exist. To help rectify this, national telehealth platform FOLX Health has partnered with the Crisis Text Line to help support queer people through a tumultuous time.
"Given the world that we live in today, where every day as members of this community, we wake up to a new onslaught of laws or rhetoric that is aimed at taking us down, that has a profound impact on our mental health and well-being," FOLX Health CEO Liana Douillet Guzmán told The Advocate. "[The text line] really just allows folks who are having a moment of crisis in the face of the world that we live in to connect with another person to help them navigate that experience."
The free and confidential line is available by text, web, and WhatsApp in both English and Spanish, connecting those who reach out with a live, trained crisis counselor within five minutes. The option to text instead of call is specifically helpful, as it provides a way to seek care while protecting privacy and comfort.
Guzmán noted that "being able to have a text conversation lowers the barrier to entry," particularly among younger groups, who report the highest percentage of LGBTQ+ people.
"It feels easier for a lot of folks to be able to just text, to connect to somebody. It's how people, particularly for Gen Z, feel most comfortable communicating," she explained. "It's meeting people where they are and connecting them in the way that works best for them."
Resources like the Crisis Text Line are going to be particularly helpful as the November elections approach, as mental health services often report higher rates of calls during major events. Following the death of Indigenous transgender high school student Nex Benedict, centers in his state of Oklahoma saw a dramatic increase in calls.
LGBTQ+ health care and human rights will soon be debated on a national stage, and Guzmán emphasized that such rhetoric will have real consequences. Queer people already experience disparities in health care, and "it is no surprise that we have worse outcomes in a world where people are being isolated by virtue of our identities."
"We're right at the center of an election cycle that is really leveraging our community as a wedge issue and attacking LGBTQIA rights broadly, but then really focusing in on trans rights," Guzmán continued. "There are many studies that have shown that LGBTQIA individuals are more likely to experience health care disparities, and that includes higher rates of mental health issues, substance abuse, and chronic health conditions. And I don't think that's a surprise."
These disparate outcomes have influenced a large section of the community to "actively avoid seeking health care prior to coming to FOLX because of fear of discrimination," though Guzmán noted "that fear is well placed."
In contrast, FOLX's mental health services have seen incredible success since their launch, with a new clinical outcomes data collection finding that 59 percent of members who had suicide ideation before coming to FOLX did not have suicide ideation at follow-up. In addition, 39 percent of all FOLX members had an improvement in their quality of life score within three months.
To Guzmán, "that is such a clear example of why access to affirming and expert health care and mental health care are connected to better outcomes."
"It's simple, which makes it all the more a travesty that it's been so difficult for members of our community to access this kind of care," she said.
You can seek support from the Crisis Text Line by texting HELLO or HOLA to 741741, or through WhatsApp by messaging 443-SUPPORT or 442-AYUDAME for Spanish.
