factors that contribute to declining mental health are heteronormativity, discrimination, harassment, rejection (e.g., family rejection and social exclusion), stigma, prejudice, denial of civil and human rights, lack of access to mental health resources, lack of access to gender-affirming spaces (e.g., gender-appropriate facilities), and internalized homophobia. The structural circumstance where a non-heterosexual or gender non-conforming individual is embedded in significantly affects the potential sources of risk. The compounding of these everyday stressors increase poor mental health outcomes among individuals in the LGBTQ+ community. Evidence shows that there is a direct association between LGBTQ+ individuals' development of severe mental illnesses and the exposure to discrimination. In addition, there are a lack of access to mental health resources specific to LGBTQ+ individuals and a lack of awareness about mental health conditions within the LGBTQ+ community that restricts patients from seeking help. Limited research There is limited research on mental health in the LGBTQ+ community. Several factors affect the lack of research on mental illness within non-heterosexual and non-conforming gender identities. Some factors identified: the history of psychiatry with conflating sexual and gender identities with psychiatric symptomatology; medical community's history of labelling gender identities such as homosexuality as an illness (now removed from the DSM); the presence of gender dysphoria in the DSM-V; prejudice and rejection from physicians and healthcare providers; LGBTQ+ underrepresentation in research populations; physicians' reluctance to ask patients about their gender; and the presence of laws against the LGBTQ+ community in many countries. General patterns such as the prevalence of minority stress have been broadly studied. There is also a lack of empirical research on racial and ethnic differences in mental health status among the LGBTQ+ community and the intersection of multiple minority identities. Stigmatization of LGBTQ+ individuals with severe mental illnesses There is a significantly greater stigmatization of LGBTQ+ individuals with more severe conditions. The presence of the stigma affects individuals' access to treatment and is particularly present for non-heterosexual and gender non-conforming individuals with schizophrenia. Anxiety LGBTQ+ individuals are nearly three times more likely to experience anxiety compared to heterosexual individuals. Gay and bisexual men are more likely to have generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) as compared to heterosexual men. Depression Individuals who identify as non-heterosexual or gender non-conforming are more likely to experience depressive episodes and suicide attempts than those who identify as heterosexual. Based solely on their gender identity and sexual orientation, LGBTQ+ individuals face stigma, societal bias,