Originally published June 30, 2023 5:40 am PDT
The study analyzed 3,800 transgender individuals.
QUICK FACTS:
- A Danish study 42 years in the making found that suicide rates and psychiatric conditions are higher among transgender individuals than non-transgender people.
- “Transgender individuals had higher rates of suicide attempt and mortality compared with nontransgender individuals,” the study states.
- It found that transgender people committed suicide at a rate 3.5 times higher than those who are not transgender.
- The study also noted that about 43% of transgender people had a psychiatric diagnosis, compared to 7% of non-transgender individuals.
- The study authors thought the findings may also be applicable to the United States, as the U.S. and Denmark have similar suicide rates.
DETAILS FROM THE STUDY:
- “The aim of the present national cohort study was to provide an updated, robust assessment of whether transgender individuals identified from hospital records and records of legal change of gender have higher rates of suicide attempt and of suicide, suicide-unrelated mortality, and all-cause mortality than the population of nontransgender individuals,” the study reads, as previous studies have yielded similar results.
- A brief history of transgenderism was discussed, and the authors noted that the first gender-affirming surgery in the country took place in 1952.
- “Since 1968, individuals undergoing such surgery could get their recorded sex updated in the national Civil Registration System to reflect their gender identity,” the authors write, adding that since 2014, Danish adults can legally change their identity without having previously undergone hormone therapy or surgery.
- The authors explained that part of the increasing “prevalence of transgender individuals” is linked to a “stronger presence of transgender role models in the media, destigmatization, and increased societal openness toward gender identity issues.”
BACKGROUND:
- Many U.S. states have laws prohibiting sex-change surgeries for children and the distribution of puberty blockers while other states are in the process of creating such legislation.
- States that have banned gender-affirming care include Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia.
