Amid all the problems exacerbated by school closures, mental health support for LGBTQ students remains crucial, but potentially harder to access, according to experts consulted by Mashable. .

For LGBTQ youth, there are increased risks associated with campus closures and the isolation that comes with it, which can cut them off from key mental health resources, according to Dr.

In addition to lacking the support provided by peers and campus LGBTQ centers, some students, if they attend school away from home, might be returning to unwelcoming home environments.

This can have a disastrous impact on mental health: According to recent research from the Trevor Project, over 25 percent of LGBTQ youth who lacked an accepting adult in their life reported attempting suicide in the previous year.

Additionally, Dole notes that many students first embrace their LGBTQ identity in college, whether by finally getting others to use their proper pronouns or by first sharing this identity with others.

COVID-19, the official term for the disease caused by the virus, is already impacting the way LGBTQ youth engage with mental health resources: A Trevor Project representative told Mashable via email that nearly 20 percent of its crisis contacts from LGBTQ youth in the last week have mentioned COVID-19. .

Dole, and Ellen Kahn, the senior director of programs and partnerships at LGBTQ advocacy group Human Rights Campaign to get insight on how to give LGBTQ college students the mental health support they need right now.

For all LGBTQ youth facing compounded mental health struggles right now, Dole, Kahn, Gebetsberger, and Hillman stressed a similar message: Make sure you're still maintaining a sense of community that you found while on campus with others. .

For all the support that LGBTQ students might be giving to each other through sharing memes and sending Snapchats, Kahn, Dole, Gebetsberger, and Hillman also encourage students to take some time to focus on their own wellbeing as well, arguing that this can matter just as much as helping others. .

Dole points out that LGBTQ students used to community reliance, and aware of the mental health burden caused by the pandemic, might be tempted to overextend themselves while offering mental health support to their friends and peers. .

No matter what your relationship was like with your LGBTQ teen when they were still in the house, Kahn and Dole stress that this can be a beneficial time to bolster your kid's mental health by engaging in thoughtful discussions about their past experiences (and current needs). .

LGBTQ students returning home, whether to hospitable families or not, are going to be working through a host of personal issues, not only because of their identity but also simply because they were once adolescents in the homes they're returning to: For some students, like Gebetsberger, the last time they were in their family home for an extended period was back in high school. .

Kahn and Dole encourage parents to intentionally reevaluate how welcoming their home was in the past, particularly parents of kids who first embraced their LGBTQ identity after going to college.

Dole suggests asking questions that reflect your changing relationship, like about what kind of emotional support your young adult needs now, particularly with respect to their identity and identity formation. 

Overall, working to ensure that your household is currently welcoming, regardless of past mistakes, can help the overall mental health of LGBTQ students returning home, Kahn and Dole said. 

This is surely well-intentioned, but Kahn encourages allies to first equip themselves with proper mental health resources

For general support, Kahn recommends resources like this one from HRC, which helps LGBTQ youth find direct online and phone support. 

Rather than directly sending resources to LGBTQ youth that you know, which might embarrass some students if you don't know them that well (and would not reach those who haven't revealed their sexual or gender identity to you), Kahn suggests posting about them on your own social media accounts

Additionally, try sharing mental health and self-care resources specifically geared towards LGBTQ youth