In 2006 McDermott joined the
University of York as an assistant professor. She returned to
Lancaster University in 2013. From 2014 McDermott led the
Department of Health and Social Care study into
LGBT youth suicide. The research programme looked to understand why
LGBT young people have a higher risk of suicide than their heterosexual counterparts. and identified that 70% of young people have experienced discrimination or bullying related to their sexual orientation. She also identified that 4 out of 5 young people hid their sexual orientation or gender identity, and those that hide their gender identity are almost two times as likely to self-harm. The LBGT youth suicide project expanded into the
National Institute for Health Research Queer Futures 2, which looks to improve the mental health provision for
LGBT young people. Queer Futures 2 partnered with The Blueprint study, which looked at community-based mental health provision. McDermott has worked with the
National Health Service to implement findings based on her research, including
LGBT awareness training, remarking that ‘We need to provide safe and non-judgemental environments for young people to talk about their sexualities, and mental health services outside the clinical environment’. McDermot serves on the board of trustees of the Consortium of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Voluntary and Community Organisations. == Selected publications ==