Abstract
This qualitative research aimed to identify the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of Brazilian LGBTQIA+ people. This nationwide study was conducted by social networks by sharing a semi-structured questionnaire made available on Google Docs. The investigation took place between June and November 2021 and the population consisted of LGBTQIA+ people over 18 years of age. The Snowball technique was used to locate the participants. The analysis was based on the Collective Subject Discourse technique, which gave rise to three discourses: (1) The unseen impacts of the “pandemic of stress and fear”: emotional distress; (2) “A parallel epidemic” of mental disorders and disorders; and (3) “Escape from reality”: abuse of licit drugs. The data revealed how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the mental health of the LGBTI+ population. The findings indicate that there was the production and potentiation of emotional suffering; mental disorders; the increase in the use of licit substances and drugs, besides the emergence of eating disorders. Given this scenario, the State must institutionalize public policies intending to reduce the impacts and promote the mental health of these subjects.
Keywords:
Sexual and Gender Minorities; Pandemic; COVID-19; Mental health