by Emily Stearn, Mailonline
Bisexual adults are almost three times more likely to suffer self-harm than their heterosexual peers, alarming new data today suggested.
The risk among those who identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual (LGB) was ‘particularly high’ compared to those who identified as straight, figures showed.
But this was 2.8 times higher among those who identified as bisexual and 2.4 times higher for those who were gay or lesbian, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Among the UK population as a whole, the risk of suicide for people identifying as LGB was also 2.2 times higher than those who identify as heterosexual.
Experts said the statistics gave ‘new’ and ‘valuable’ insights into ‘this important topic’ but could not explain why this was the case.
Emma Sharland, from the ONS health research group, said: ‘We hope today’s analysis will provide valuable insight for those concerned with self-harm and suicide prevention.’
The survey focused exclusively on sexual identity and no data was collected for those who identify as transgender, or non-binary.
It is the first time the ONS has calculated how estimated rates of self-harm and suicide differ by sexual orientation.