lead author of the study told Medical Express. Related: How to deal with the depression that hurts so many older gay men“Our findings suggest that depression may be one of the important underlying factors leading to cognitive disadvantages for LGB people,” Hsieh added. “They may experience higher rates of depression than their heterosexual peers for many reasons, including not being accepted by parts of society, feeling ashamed of their sexual orientation or trying to hide their romantic relationships and being treated unfairly in school or at work.”Hsieh also stressed that more research is needed to better understand the link between the depression sexual minorities suffer and cognitive impairment.