London, England - According to a recent study by a British psychologist, women who are bisexual claim to be facing an increasing amount of pressure to declare themselves as lesbians.

In the face of recent reports from doctors that bisexuality doesn’t exist, bisexuals (particularly women, according to this report) continue to feel their sexuality is a stigma, the study claims, in comparison to gay men and lesbians.

The findings by Dr. Patricia Hudson were presented at the British Psychological Society’s Psychology of Women Section Conference, according to Gay.com.UK. They point to the need for more women-specific health promotional projects.

They also suggest the need for more inclusivity for bisexuals in the gay community.

The study shows through videotaped interviews with bisexual women that they find their sexuality, and its perception, “challenging.” The women also say they feel neither heterosexual or gay people are understanding of their lifestyles and feel pressure from both groups to define their sexuality more precisely.

Hudson says health workers need to recognize the diversity of sexual orientation and encourage bisexual people to fight against the perceived stigma.

“The onus is on professional and academic psychologists to recognize that enduring bisexual identities do exist, and to ensure that they challenge the stigma that so often renders bisexual identities invisible or portrays them in negative ways,” she said.

She said that ongoing support for bisexual women often led to higher self-esteem.

“Despite widespread experiences of prejudice and stigma, interviewees found that their bisexual identity offered the opportunity for enhanced self esteem and the possibility of engaging in enriching relationships,” she added.

Recent reports from North American scientists have put bisexuality at the center of widespread debate. The team of scientists from the University of Chicago claim studies of arousal in men self-defined as bi-sexual suggested the orientation did not exist.

The Chicago and Toronto researchers studied gay, straight and bisexual men and found that those who described themselves as bisexual were not truly attracted to both men and women but rather were aroused solely by one sex or the other.