U.S. transgender teens have high rates
of depression, suicidal thoughts, and self-injury, a new study has
concluded.
Published in the Journal of the
Endocrine Society, the study looked at medical records of 158
transgender teens.
The study included 107 transgender
males, 47 females and four teens who identified as non-binary.
A large majority (78.5%) of the teens
had a mental health condition, with depression the most common
(66.5%). Transgender males had higher incidents of suicidal thoughts
(70%) and self-injury (56%) than females, at 49 and 25.5 percent,
respectively.
Researchers also found starting hormone
treatment significantly improved gender dysphoria in teens.
“Pediatricians need to be able to
identify children with gender dysphoria,” said
Alejandro Diaz, MD, director of pediatric endocrinology at
Nicklaus Children's Hospital in Miami, “This is essential, because
early identification and parental support significantly decrease the
degree of dysphoria. Among our group of patients, the degree of
dysphoria improved significantly after initiating pharmacological
treatment and following gender-affirming surgical procedures.”