Experts say mental health and addiction are both on the rise in the LGBTQ+ community.
Where as all adolescents go through identity challenges, most kids will receive reinforcement that they're going to be alright. They're part of the group.
But Lew Zeidner with EOSIS, an addiction and mental health treatment facility, says it's different for those who identify as transgender and LGBTQ.
"They have repeatedly been told, sometimes in very public forums, that they're not OK, that there's something wrong with them, and that they need to hide some of who they are," says Zeidner. "And I think anytime people do that, it leads to more mental health, more substance use challenges."
The current climate doesn't help their situation either.
"If you listen to the rhetoric at many levels, it is very scary and so it's hard to advocate for yourself when you're scared," he adds.
Zeidner says his job is to make people feel like they're in a safe environment.
Despite June being "Pride" month, pride about who they are can come with challenges with statistically higher risks of mental health and substance abuse. It tends to start with adolescents.
"Where you can truly be yourself, where you can talk about your true feelings, and so at times it is very beneficial to have groups specifically for folks in a different community, to allow them to feel more safe," Zeidner said.
He also says one of the biggest challenges they face are getting their patients to trust other people.