Behavioral Health Bulletin

Issue 19, June 2023

Compassionate Care for LGBTQ+ Populations

In honor of pride month, we'd like to take this opportunity to call attention to behavioral health care needs, trends, and guidance specifically for your LGBTQ+ patients. LGBTQ+ individuals experience disparities in care and disproportionate rates of anxiety, depression, and suicidality.


The facts surrounding LGBTQ+ youth mental health are especially concerning. The 2022 Trevor Project National Survey found 45% of LGBTQ youth seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year and 60% of LGBTQ youth who wanted mental health care in the past year were not able to get it.


Affirming New York City's commitment to equitable health care, and in light of extensive legislation across the country banning or restricting access to gender-affirming care, Mayor Eric Adams recently signed into law Executive Order 32 protecting access to gender affirming care in New York City.


The need to provide culturally competent and compassionate care to your LGBTQ+ patients has perhaps never been more critical. Read on for resources and information as well as updated clinical standards of care for trans and gender diverse individuals.

Mind Matters ECHO

Collaborative Care for Pain Management



Earlier this month Virna Little, PsyD, LCSW-r, and Laura Sidari, MD, shared clinical pearls on using the collaborative care model to manage chronic pain.


Watch the recording | View the slides



Our next Mind Matters ECHO meeting will be held on September 13, 2023 from 5:30-7:00pm with James Wright, Chief of Crisis Center Operations for the 988 team.

Join Us

If you have a case you'd like to share for consultation and support, please email Anitha Iyer, PhD, Course Director.

Behavioral Health Tip of the Month

Understand essential terminology for gender-affirming care

In order to provide compassionate and gender-affirming care to LGBTQ+ patients it is essential to understand key terminology about gender and sexuality. The National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center has a handy glossary, which includes definitions of various gender and sexual identities, gender-affirming therapies, and more.

 

They also provide a list of outdated and insensitive terms, and their recommended replacements. 

Instead of __________, use ___________:


Berdache

Two-spirit


Biological female/male

Assigned female/male at birth


Cross-sex hormone therapy; hormone replacement therapy

Gender-affirming hormone therapy


Disorders/differences of sex development

Intersex


Female-to-male (FTM) and Male-to-female (MTF) Transgender man and transgender woman


Gender nonconforming

Gender non-binary


Hermaphrodite/Ambiguous genitalia

Intersex


Homosexual

Gay or lesbian


Legal name

Administrative name or Name on legal documents


Preferred name

Chosen name or Name used


Preferred pronouns

Pronouns


Sex change/Sex reassignment surgery/Gender reconstruction surgery

Gender-affirming surgery


Sexual preference/lifestyle

Sexual orientation


Transgendered

Transgender

Behavioral Health in the Literature

Association Between Gender-Affirming Surgeries and Mental Health Outcomes

An original JAMA investigation found an association between gender-affirming surgery and improved mental health outcomes and reduction in substance use. Gender-affirming surgery refers to any surgical procedures offered to affirm the gender identities of trans and gender diverse (TGD) people. 


Learn more

Standards of Care

Current best practices for providing care to trans and gender diverse patients

Joshua Safer, MD, FACP, FACE, Executive Director of the Mount Sinai Center for Transgender Medicine and Surgery (CTMS) and pioneer in the field of transgender medicine, recently presented a Grand Rounds on the current evidence base in transgender medicine.

He also shared some high-level guidance in a Healio article.

Health System News

Opening this summer! Innovative Mount Sinai-Behavioral Health Clinic

The Mount Sinai-Behavioral Health Center at 45 Rivington Street in lower Manhattan will begin to open this summer. The $140 million, 133,000-square-foot facility—the largest private investment in behavioral health in New York State history—will transform behavioral health care in New York City by serving as a comprehensive “one-stop shop” for mental health care, substance use treatment, and primary care.

 

The Mount Sinai-Behavioral Health Center is a testament to the value that Mount Sinai places on behavioral health care. The Center is based on a unique model of highly integrated and coordinated care in a single location. We have completely re-envisioned the model of behavioral health care in order to address long-standing challenges in the field and provide exceptional, compassionate care to the Mount Sinai Health System community and beyond.

 

Visit the website and watch the mission video to learn more about the Center.

Mental Health Literacy

Non-stigmatizing communication about mental health

It's no secret that there is high stigma surrounding mental health which can be incredibly harmful to people living with mental health conditions and interfere with their treatment and recovery.


The CDC offers a variety of provider resources on mental health literacy, including a CME course from the University of Texas at Austin on stigma-free communication about mental health.

Mount Sinai Health Library

Information to share with your patients: gender dysphoria

Peruse the Mount Sinai Health Library for information to share with your patients. With over 100 psychiatry topics presented in patient-friendly language, the Health Library can be a valuable source for your patients to understand their diagnoses.


This month, share information about gender dysphoria with your patients.

Contact Us

P: 877-234-6667

F: 646-537-1481

E: MSHP@mountsinai.org

Provider Engagement Team