Overview

• Project SPARK followed 1,689 LGBTQ+ people ages 13–24 nationwide, surveying them every six months from September 2023 through March 2025.
• Reported anxiety rose from 57% to 68%, depression from 48% to 54%, and suicidal ideation from 41% to 47%, while past-year suicide attempts fell from 11% to 7% but remained above estimates for cisgender heterosexual peers.
• Transgender and nonbinary adolescents, particularly those 13–17, were nearly twice as likely as cisgender peers to report anxiety and suicidal thoughts.
• Participants reported widespread harassment and discrimination, and threats of conversion therapy doubled as exposure rose from 9% to 15% during the period, coinciding with a Supreme Court case on Colorado’s conversion-therapy ban.
• Supportive environments showed strong protective effects, with affirming homes and high family support linked to lower odds of suicidal thoughts, as survey respondents also reported access to mental health care dropping from 80% to 60%.