A friend of mine who is a medical doctor passed along an article on Transgender Suicide Rate. The article is interesting. Equally interesting was his analysis of the article.
"Research on suicide rates in transgender patients was revealing. The overall suicide attempt rate was 41% (compared to 4.6% for the overall US population). That's not just unhappiness, depression, or even suicidal ideation, but actual suicide attempts. One of the conclusions that is buried in the study (table 5, page 8) was that those that had undergone gender transition treatment/surgery were not happier or less likely to try to kill themselves. In other words, the treatment that is being offered is not effective.
Bottom line, these are some really unhappy people with a profound need for love and good news. They deserve compassion.
The next part is just my opinion, but we may find some truth to it as time progresses. Gender dysphoria is real. Some people feel really uncomfortable in their own skin. An important question is why this is occurring in what appears to be increasing frequency. I think there are environmental influences that are hormonal analogues or disruptors. An example would be the phytoestrogens in soy or other compounds like pesticides, BPA in plastics, mercury, etc. A hormonally active substance does affect the way the brain functions, especially over time. The thing I find curious is that when a patient approaches a doctor with gender dysphoria, the default answer is to medically push them away from the direction of their birth gender. Medical treatment can push a patient either direction, but we rarely read about treating a male patient with gender dysphoria with testosterone. I'm interested to see what research concludes in the future, but fear that the research may not be objective or that some conclusions may be suppressed."
