Transgender People Face Double the Risk of Mental Health Conditions

Transgender people are more likely to suffer from a long-term mental health condition, a new study has revealed.

The study looked at 1.5 million people over 16, with 8,000 of them identifying as trans, non-binary or gender diverse.

The research shows that one in six transgender men and women suffer from a long-term mental health condition compared with one in ten cisgender men and women.

The risk of reporting a mental health condition was even higher for some gender minority groups, reaching almost one in two for non-binary individuals.

The study, published in The Lancet Public Health, also shows that the transgender community is less likely to have adequate support for their mental health needs.

The term cisgender refers to anyone whose gender identity matches with the sex they were assigned at birth, while transgender means a person whose gender identity does not correspond with their birth-assigned sex.

Out of 1,520,457 people who responded to the survey, 7,994 were transgender, non-binary or gender diverse, 1,499,852 were cisgender and 12,611 preferred not to say.

The survey did not ask for details of the mental health condition, but the researchers note that previous research shows anxiety and depression, as well as eating disorders, self-harm, and suicidality, are more common amongst transgender, non-binary, and gender-diverse groups.

Alongside investigating the frequency of mental health conditions, the researchers also looked at how well people’s mental health needs were met at recent general practice appointments.

One in six cisgender people recorded having their mental health needs unmet at their last appointment, while other gender identities ranged between one in four and one in five.

The researchers hope that their findings will encourage the NHS to become more gender-inclusive, improving their training to cater to the needs of trans patients.

Originally published by Talker News