Maximizing Justice, Beneficence, & Nonmaleficence in Narratives of Mental Health Disparities

LGBTQ+ people face disproportionate rates of depression and suicide, and public messages often highlight these disparities to raise awareness. While such messages may promote justice by focusing on the needs of those facing disproportionate health burdens, they could cause harm if they reinforce stigma or discourage help-seeking. This project plans to study how LGBTQ+ people and clinicians respond to messages about mental health disparities affecting the LGBTQ+ population and aims to yield ethical guidance to ensure that communications promote equity and wellbeing while avoiding unintended harms.