Prevalence of Mental Disorders Higher in Transgender, Gender-Diverse People
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 2, 2024 -- There is a higher prevalence of mental disorders and suicidal behavior among transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) people versus the cisgender population, according to a research letter published online Oct. 2 in JAMA Network Open.
Heidi Eccles, from the University of Ottawa in Ontario, Canada, and colleagues investigated the prevalence and risk for mental disorders, substance use disorders, and suicidal behaviors (both past 12 months and lifetime) among a population-representative sample of 9,861 TGD and cisgender Canadians participating in the Mental Health and Access to Care Survey.
The researchers found that 0.53 percent of participants identified as TGD. Compared with cisgender respondents, past 12-month and lifetime major depressive episode, generalized anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder, social phobia, substance use disorder, suicide ideation, suicide plan, and suicide attempts were higher in TGD respondents. For example, lifetime prevalence of depression among cisgender participants was 13.7 versus 63.7 percent among TGD respondents (adjusted rate ratio, 2.78). In an adjusted analysis, the risk for all 12-month and past-year mental disorders, substance use disorder, and suicide ideation remained higher in TGD respondents than cisgender participants. TGD respondents also had a significantly higher risk for lifetime suicide plan and attempts. However, neither past 12 months nor lifetime alcohol use disorder differed between the groups.
"This disparity may be explained by minority stress theory, which posits that the experience of prejudice and negative social experiences by members of historically stigmatized groups can have substantial impacts on both physical and mental health," the authors write.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Read this next
Suicidal Ideation Risk Elevated for Patients With Atopic Eczema
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 17, 2025 -- Patients with atopic eczema (AE) have an increased risk for suicidal ideation (SI), according to a study presented at the European Academy of...
Parental Diseases of Despair Linked to Suicidal Events in Offspring
MONDAY, Sept. 15, 2025 -- Parental diseases of despair (DoD; i.e., substance use disorder, alcohol-related disease, or suicidal behavior) are associated with suicidal events (SE)...
Adjunctive Ketogenic Diet Beneficial for Major Depressive Disorder
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 10, 2025 -- A ketogenic diet (KD) is a feasible adjunctive therapy and is associated with improvements in depression symptoms among young adults with major...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.