KUALA LUMPUR, July 22 -- A new study has found that frequent exposure to negative online messages is driving up depression, self-harm, and suicidal thoughts among LGBT+ individuals in Malaysia.

The study, titled "Exposure to negative LGBT-related media messages as a social determinant of mental health inequities for LGBT+ people in Malaysia," said such messages often aim to indoctrinate the public with harmful ideology and ingrain anti-LGBT+ sentiments, particularly among those with limited or misinformed understanding of these issues.

From those surveyed, over three in four respondents reported seeing negative LGBT-related messages on social media "often" or "very often" over the past 12 months.

Regarding the nature of these messages,...