Bisexual women, more likely than bisexual men, to be depressed and abuse alcohol, new study finds

Public release date: 8-Nov-2011

Contact: Michele McDonald
mmcdon15@gmu.edu
703-993-9511
http://www.gmu.edu/">George Mason University

Bisexual women, more likely than bisexual men, to be depressed and abuse alcohol, new study finds

Bisexual women are more likely than their male counterparts to suffer from depression and stress and to binge-drink, according to a new national study led by George Mason University researcher Lisa Lindley.

Bisexual women also are at greater risk to smoke and be victimized, the research finds.

"Why?" Lindley wonders. "That's what we keep asking."

She has some theories. "Bisexuals are often invisible," she says of bisexual women. "There's a lot of prejudice against them. They're told 'You're confused -- pick one.' There tends to be this expectation or standard that a person picks one sexual identity and sticks with it. I think there's a lot of misunderstanding about bisexuals. I think their risk has a lot more to do with stigma."

…