LGBT individuals represent a particular and notable group in modern society. These people often require specific treatment and additional attention to be fully-fledged members of a community. This state of affairs is present because this social group has suffered from discrimination and oppression for a long time. The need for a specific attitude is evident in the healthcare industry, which denotes that medical establishments should develop specialized guidelines and interventions to ensure that healthcare is accessible for representatives of sexual minorities. The scholarly article “The Availability of LGBT-Specific Mental Health and Substance Abuse Treatment in the United States” by Williams and Fish (2020) focuses on whether LGBT individuals receive adequate mental health and substance abuse treatment. Critical analysis of the study reveals its strengths and weaknesses and demonstrates that the US lacks a sufficient number of LGBT-specific programs, which denotes that this population is subject to a healthcare gap.
To begin with, one should explain the main points of the article under analysis. As Williams and Fish (2020) stipulate, their task is to evaluate the spread of substance abuse mental health treatment programs for LGBT individuals in the US. This objective is a study’s significant strength because the authors focus on an actual topic. Sexual minorities are said to be at a higher risk for substance abuse and mental health disorders. However, when such people participate in traditional healthcare programs, they report no or unsatisfactory outcomes. That is why medical organizations require culturally competent interventions that will understand and use the peculiarities of the selected population group. It is excellent that these scholars draw attention to this important issue and try to assess how well the US medical industry meets the needs of LGBT individuals in terms of mental health and substance abuse services.
Another strength of the article is based on its methodology. On the one hand, it is good that the study deals with secondary data. The authors located and collected data from three national surveys that took place in 2015-2016, and this approach implies a few advantages (Williams & Fish, 2020). In addition to a good quality of data, this method implies that the scholars did not need to spend time finding the required information. On the other hand, the study relies on specific statistical instruments to meet its objective. Linear and logistic regression models were used to assess how widespread substance abuse and mental health programs are across the United States. This discussion clearly demonstrates that the scholars utilized an appropriate scientific approach to investigating the selected issue, which is a significant advantage.
The described methodology is effective because it results in statistical values to assess the availability of LGBT-specific mental health and substance abuse treatment programs. According to Williams and Fish (2020), such interventions were present in 12.6% of mental health and 17.6% of substance abuse facilities across the US. In addition to that, the scholars found that a higher number of LGBT individuals resulted in more mental health programs and failed to have any impact on substance abuse programs on a state level (Williams & Fish, 2020). The identified statistical values clearly demonstrate that the interventions under analysis are underrepresented in the United States. Such low figures demonstrate that LGBT representatives face difficulties locating and attending specific medical programs to help them cope with mental conditions and substance abuse. Even though this finding shows a problem for the population, it is a strength of the article because the latter highlights the necessity to address the problem to improve the health of a particular population group.
The scholars arrived at the statistical values above by analyzing secondary data and using appropriate tools. That is why it is possible to expect that this evidence is credible and reliable. One should double-check it by doing additional research to determine whether the conclusion is trustworthy. However, open sources do not have exact statistical information to compare with the findings by Williams and Fish (2020). One can still find scholarly articles that emphasize the problem under analysis and advocate for action to bring positive outcomes. For example, Moagi et al. (2021) indicate that LGBT individuals face many barriers when they need to receive mental health care. Whaibeh et al. (2020) indicate that LGBT representatives do not receive adequate treatment for their mental conditions because they do not have easy access to healthcare facilities offering such services. Qeadan et al. (2022) stipulate that LGBT-specific programs for drug abuse are lacking, but their number dramatically increased three times to reach approximately 20% between 2008 and 2018. These findings implicitly support and prove the evidence from the article under critique.
In addition to that, the study includes a few limitations that are worth considering. Firstly, the article makes conclusions regarding whether a healthcare facility has LGBT-specific programs based on this institution’s self-report. This approach can lead to false results because such establishments can present inaccurate information regarding the availability of the selected interventions. The reasons for this fact are beyond the scope of the study, but this behavior implies that LGBT-specific programs can be over-reported in the article. That is why it is necessary to develop specific inclusion criteria to determine when a medical facility has such interventions and utilize this approach during further research. Secondly, the article is limited because its authors do not specify or define an LGBT-specific intervention. It is not clear what features, elements, and steps such programs should have, which brings additional uncertainty to the study. It is possible to address this weakness in a further study by including specific requirements that an intervention should meet to be considered LGBT-specific. Thus, this information demonstrates that a few limitations are present, but they can be addressed with the help of certain methodological changes.
In conclusion, the selected article analyzes the availability of LBGT-specific mental health and substance abuse interventions in the United States. The authors rely on secondary data to calculate how many medical facilities offer such tailored services for representatives of sexual minorities. According to the obtained findings, these programs were present in a small part of substance abuse treatment institutions across the nation. These figures are reliable because many other scholars indicate that representatives of sexual minorities face difficulties receiving substance abuse and mental health treatment because suitable facilities are not located close to them. Since the given article has many strengths, including the topic and methodology, the results seem credible and reliable. However, a few limitations demonstrate that the findings can be compromised, which emphasizes the importance of conducting further research. In any case, the study under critique demonstrates that LGBT individuals face systemic barriers when they need to receive substance abuse and mental health treatment, and this state of affairs should be addressed.
References
Moagi, M. M., van Der Wath, A. E., Jiyane, P. M., & Rikhotso, R. S. (2021). Mental health challenges of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people: An integrated literature review. Health SA Gesondheid, 26(1), 1-12. Web.
Qeadan, F., Akofua Mensah, N., Gu, L. Y., Barbeau, W. A., Madden, E. F., Porucznik, C. A., & English, K. (2022). Factors associated with the availability of tailored programs for LGBT clients in substance use disorder treatment facilities in the US from 2008 to 2018. Journal of Gay & Lesbian Social Services, 34(2), 247-268. Web.
Whaibeh, E., Mahmoud, H., & Vogt, E. L. (2020). Reducing the treatment gap for LGBT mental health needs: The potential of telepsychiatry. The Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research, 47, 424-431. Web.
Williams, N. D., & Fish, J. N. (2020). The availability of LBGT-specific mental health and substance abuse treatment in the United States. Health Services Research, 55(6), 932-943. Web.