LGBTQ youth are more than four times as likely to attempt suicide than their peers, according to the Trevor Project. At Cook Children’s, an estimated 40% of patients admitted for mental health concerns identify as a member of the LGBTQ community.

In this episode of Raising Joy, we talk to Frank Sloan, M.D., a pediatrician with Cook Children’s Urgent Care. Dr. Sloan is also a faculty fellow for LGBTQ Health and Wellness at Texas Christian University (TCU) School of Medicine.

Dr. Sloan provides insight into the unique challenges LGBTQ youth face with their mental health, as well as in health care in general. He also helps us understand how we can better support LGBTQ youth as parents and professionals.

Raising Joy is part of Cook Children’s Health Care System’s Joy Campaign, a communications initiative aimed at preventing youth suicides. For more information about the Joy Campaign, visit cookchildrens.org/joy.