Not surprising

The Guardian tells us:

Transgender people in England are much more likely to have a long-term mental health condition, the first study of its kind shows, with some facing a risk five times higher than cisgender people.

The research, led by the University of Manchester in collaboration with the Proud Trust and LGBT Foundation, was published in the Lancet Public Health journal.

“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,” said Dr Luke Munford, a senior lecturer in health economics at Manchester and co-author of the paper.

Or maybe it’s the other way around? Maybe it’s bad mental health that caused them to try to be the opposite sex?

The survey questions did not record when their mental health condition developed. Munford said the researchers could therefore not rule out the possibility that the mental health condition predated the change of their gender identity.

Ah. Well then it’s not much use as a survey, is it.

Alongside investigating the frequency of mental health conditions, the researchers looked at how well people’s mental health needs were met at GP appointments. Those with a gender identity other than cisgender male or cisgender female were more likely to report unmet needs at their last consultation.

But there again – who is deciding what these “mental health needs” are? Maybe those with a specialty “gender identity” are reporting “unmet needs” that their GP considers delusions as opposed to needs.

9 Responses to “Not surprising”