During Pride Month, it is important to highlight mental health challenges that are common within the LGBTQ+ community. People who are transgender may experience unique challenges, including gender dysphoria and discrimination, which can have a profound impact on their mental health. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at gender dysphoria and other mental health struggles experienced in the transgender community.
What is gender dysphoria?
Gender dysphoria is a condition defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-5-TR) as an incongruence between a person’s experienced/expressed gender and their assigned gender, which is based on biological sex at birth. This dissonance can cause significant psychiatric stress that disrupts many aspects of daily life, including one’s social, academic, and occupational functioning. Gender dysphoria often begins in childhood, but it may not be fully recognized until puberty or much later.
Gender dysphoria is often seen among transgender individuals before they transition and begin living as their authentic selves. However, it is important to recognize that being trans is not in itself a mental health disorder. It is perfectly normal to desire to express one’s gender in the way that feels the most natural and authentic. Unfortunately, external factors such as bullying, sexual assault, physical attacks, and verbal harassment can increase the risk of psychological distress as individuals explore their gender identity. These traumatic experiences may also influence a person’s decision to pursue gender affirming care.
According to The Cleveland Clinic, transgender adults experience severe psychological distress at a rate much greater than the general population—39% of trans individuals compared to just 5% of the U.S. general population. Additionally, almost half of transgender adults report being verbally harassed in the past year, and 1 in 10 report being physically attacked or sexually assaulted in a given year.
How does gender dysphoria impact mental health?
Gender dysphoria manifests a sense of unease and discomfort in one’s own body. Left unaddressed, it can lead to a wide range of other mental health challenges, including anxiety, depression, poor self-esteem, negative self-image, and social isolation. Additionally, many trans people experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following traumatic experiences like bullying and physical attacks. Trans individuals also experience much higher rates of suicide than the general population.
- In 2022, approximately 85.5% of transgender people assigned female at birth considered suicide, and 42.7% had attempted it. In the same year, 77.2% of transgender people assigned male at birth had considered suicide, and 37.2% had attempted it. *
- The suicide risk for transgender people is highest among Native/Indigenous, Black, Middle Eastern, and Hispanic individuals.
- Transgender and nonbinary individuals who reported that the people they live with respected their pronouns had lower rates of suicide.
In addition to a greater risk of suicide, trans people are more likely to engage in harmful behaviors like drug and alcohol abuse, eating disorders, and self-harm.
Seeking Care for Gender Dysphoria
Unfortunately, access to care for gender dysphoria is not always readily available, especially for teens and young adults. According to The Trevor Project, 56% of LGBTQ young people (individuals from ages 13-24) who wanted mental health care in the past year were not able to get it.
Seeking gender affirming care can help to address gender dysphoria, but this type of care may look different for each transgender individual. Gender affirming care may include name/pronoun changes, hormonal therapy, and surgical affirmation. However, the decision to pursue these types of care is highly personal.
Along with physical care, trans people may pursue mental health support through a trusted provider who specializes in LGBTQ+ issues. Any therapist working with transgender individuals should not favor any gender identity/expression to another. Therapy should be open-ended and offer a safe space to explore gender expression. Gender identity conversion therapy or any type of therapy that aims to direct an individual towards a specific gender expression is unethical and likely to cause additional mental health issues.
Along with individual therapy, trans individuals can benefit from seeking out supportive communities. Alabama’s Transgender and Gender Diversity Organizations offers regional support groups as well as an online community for transgender, non-binary, and questioning individuals 18 years and older. PFLAG offers a national network of resources for LGBTQ+ individuals as well as families and allies.
If you have a loved one who is transgender, it may benefit their mental health for you to consider attending family therapy or a support group so that you can offer a safe social environment at home. Family and societal rejection is a leading predictor of mental health issues among trans people.
Find Compassionate, Personalized Care With Integrated Behavioral Health
At IBH, we provide care for individuals from all walks of life in a welcoming, compassionate environment that’s driven by our patients’ needs. Connect with a provider at one of our eight Alabama mental health clinics by completing a New Patient Appointment Request form on our website.
*If you are considering self-harm or suicide, do not hesitate to connect with a crisis counselor at The Trevor Project. You can connect to a trained counselor specializing in LGBTQ+ care by calling 1-866-488-7386, texting START to 678-678, or using the live chat feature on their website.
Alternatively, connect with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Line by dialing 988. Both resources are 100% free and confidential and available 24/7/365.