Landmark research from the leading international biography-writing service, StoryTerrace, has found that over 1-in-3 LGBTQIA+ people cite journaling as their most important mental health aid. Though we live in an increasingly progressive society where inclusivity is encouraged and promoted, the reality is that countless people from LGBTQIA+ communities are still disproportionately vulnerable to mental illness, with stats from YouGov demonstrating that they are more than twice as likely to be affected.

The new findings from StoryTerrace go some way towards explaining the reasons underpinning these stats as they found that half of the LGBTQIA+ population (49%) agree that as a non-heterosexual person, they have often experienced feelings of isolation and loneliness having not been exposed to stories about people who have gone through similar things to themselves.

The act of writing and recording stories has become an increasingly important vehicle for driving visibility within the community and ensuring people’s personal accounts are seen and heard. Not only this, but it has a profoundly positive effect on those choosing to pen their thoughts, with almost half (48%) of people within the LGBTQIA+ community stating that writing about their experiences has helped them understand themselves better.

Key findings:
48% of LGBTQIA+ people say that writing about their experiences in a creative way has allowed them to understand themselves better
43% of LGBTQIA+ people say they are more comfortable writing about their experiences rather than talking about them
65% of LGBTQIA+ people say that reading stories they can relate to has a positive impact on their mental health
44% of LGBTQIA+ people say they would love to share their experiences so that other people facing the same issues would feel more accepted and understood
34% of LGBTQIA+ people feel that journaling has been the most beneficial aid to their mental health to date
49% say that a member of the LGBTQIA+ community has often felt lonely because they didn’t hear about people who were going through similar things to themselves
What is salient in the research is how creative writing inspires self-acceptance – with 1 in 4 saying that they are more comfortable writing about their experiences than speaking about them and a further 65% stating that reading stories they can personally relate to positively impacts their mental health. This sentiment is echoed by an inspirational gay author who chose to pen his life story with StoryTerrace.

StoryTerrace author, Roger Moreau, shares his heartfelt story of dealing with divorced parents, standing up for himself, and opening up about being gay.

Roger explains how his journaling experience evolved into the formulation of his life memoir. He comments: “It means a lot to me to be able to share my story in this way. Having written a manuscript of my life growing up in such a personal way and not being able to find the words to put it together, to now having it written in a way that makes me feel understood is amazing. I was emotionally tied to it and wasn’t sure I could tell my story properly.”

When discussing the representation of non-heterosexual protagonists in the media, Moreau says: “I think we have come a long way. When I was a teenager, seeing a gay character on television was rare. If you did see a gay character, it was mostly portrayed as something negative. It was either the person who was sick and dying from an illness or was a victim of gay-bashing. Today, there is so much acceptance and support – I absolutely love reading LGBTQIA+ memoirs and stories of someone overcoming adversity. It shows that there is hope, and to keep on going, no matter what you are going through in life.”