The Washington Post recently quoted The Jed Foundation’s Chief Medical Officer, Victor Schwartz, as an authority on public health in its article highlighting a landmark study on the link between legalization of same-sex marriage and a decrease in youth suicide attempts. Here is an excerpt from the story (February 21, 2017):
“Suicide, after fatal injuries and homicides, is the most frequent cause of death for U.S. citizens between the ages of 15 and 24. Certain young Americans, in particular, are at increased risk of dying by suicide. Gay, lesbian and bisexual youth attempt to take their lives at a rate four times higher than heterosexual teenagers, according to the Trevor Project, a nonprofit that offers a national hotline and other suicide prevention efforts for young LGBT people …
… Psychiatrist Victor Schwartz, a medical officer at the youth suicide prevention group The Jed Foundation, who was not involved in the study, said that feeling stigmatized can be frightening and painful. ‘It’s a real risk factor, a feeling that you’re at odds with your family or community,’ he said to PBS. ‘You feel like you’re going to be left out on your own.’”
