Bisexual women are more likely to suffer from depression and stress, and to binge drink, a new study has discovered.
The study by George Mason University found that although depression risks and the likelihood of alcohol abuse were higher among bisexual men and women during their teenage years, the odds drop for men as they get older, but for women, the risks remain the same.
During the study, published in the American Journal of Public Health, researchers used three different dimensions of sexuality (identity, behavior and attraction), and looked at how they linked with health problems.
Researchers found that women who are strictly identified as straight or gay didn't have the same risk factors of depression as those who were attracted to both sexes.
The bisexual participants said that they felt "invisible".
"There tends to be this expectation or standard that a person picks one sexual identity and sticks with it. I think there's a lot of misunderstanding about bisexuals. I think their risk has a lot more to do with stigma," says lead researcher Lisa Lindly.
Bisexual men on the other hand didn't report any feelings of depression or urges to binge drink.