According to the first study of its kind, transgender people in England have a five-fold increased chance of developing a long-term mental health illness compared to cisgender people. Studies have previously indicated that transgender, non-binary, and gender nonconforming individuals may be more susceptible to mental health issues like anxiety and depression.
This, however, cannot be applied to the entire population because it is based on limited studies. The burden of mental illness and the degree to which transgender people report that their needs are not being met have now been quantified in the first nationally representative survey of its kind. In England, transgender men and women (16.4% and 15.9%, respectively) have a one in six chance of developing a long-term mental health issue, while cisgender men and women (8.8% and 12%) had a one in ten chance.
For other gender minority groups, the likelihood of reporting a mental health issue was much greater; for non-binary transgender people, it was nearly one in two (47.2%). The study was published in the Lancet Public Health journal and was headed by the University of Manchester in partnership with the Proud Trust and the LGBT Foundation.
Dr. Luke Munford, a senior lecturer in health economics at Manchester University and co-author of the paper, stated, “Trans, non-binary, and gender-diverse people across England face widespread discrimination, leading to stressful social interactions and feelings of unacceptance, increasing the risk of poor mental health.”
Furthermore, “for some trans, non-binary, and gender diverse people, gender dysphoria—a feeling of uneasiness stemming from a mismatch between one’s biological sex and one’s gender identity—may raise the risk of poor mental health, particularly when combined with extremely long wait times for NHS gender identity clinics.” The study examined data from the 2021 and 2022 waves of the English GP patient survey, where patients were questioned if they had a mental health issue.
The study included 1.5 million persons in England who were 16 years of age or older, including 8,000 transgender people. The study’s limitations were mentioned by the researchers. They mentioned that combining data from two years could result in resampling of certain participants, “leading to biased estimates,” and that the survey’s clinical terminology and dependence on self-reporting may have affected whether patients disclosed a mental health issue.
The survey questions did not ask about the date on which their mental health issue started. According to Munford, this meant that the researchers could not completely rule out the potential that the mental health issue existed before the individual’s gender identification changed. In addition to examining the prevalence of mental health disorders, the researchers examined the extent to which patients’ mental health requirements were satisfied during general practitioner visits.
At their most recent visit, those who identified as gender non-conforming male or female were more likely to report unmet needs. According to 15.9% and 15.6% of cisgender women and men, respectively, one in six said their mental health requirements were not satisfied. This was less than the percentages for all other gender identification categories, which varied from one in four (28.6%) patients who opted not to disclose their gender identity to one in five (20%) transgender men.
Dr. Ruth Watkinson, a research fellow at the University of Manchester and co-author of the study, speculated that transgender, non-binary, and gender-diverse patients were more likely to report that their mental health needs were not met because of poor communication from healthcare professionals and inadequate staff-patient relationships. “Immediate changes are required to enable the NHS to provide transgender, non-binary, and gender-diverse patients with a more supportive service.
These changes include enhanced gender recording throughout healthcare record systems and staff training to guarantee that medical personnel address the mental health needs of all patients, regardless of gender.” A coalition of human rights organizations and charities, meanwhile, declared on Wednesday that they “strongly oppose” the government’s draft guidelines about how transgender kids should be treated in English schools.
The partnership, which is made up of Stonewall, Liberty, and Mermaids, claimed that the guidelines might forcefully out transgender students by “seeks to deny the existence of transgender pupils.” The group demanded that the guidelines be rescinded, stating that “it hampers teachers’ ability to tackle bullying and ultimately risks causing more harm and exclusion of trans young people.”
The draft guidelines, which were released at the end of the previous year, stressed that parents should be consulted wherever feasible and informed schools that they had no “general duty” to allow kids to change their chosen names or uniforms, a process known as social transitioning.