Psychosocial issues in primary care of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth are at risk for a multitude of physical, emotional, and social health problems. During the past decade it has been well documented that these youth have higher-than-average rates of depression, suicide attempts, substance abuse, sexually transmitted diseases, school failure, family rejection, and homelessness. The focus of this article is to outline skills and strategies that can assist the health practitioner in creating an optimal health care experience for sexual minority youth. Models of individual and family adaptation, a clinical path, and a referral list are presented. Current health care delivery sites are examined, and recommendations are given for improvement of both practitioner skills and health care programs targeting these youth.