Transgender people are significantly more likely to suffer from long-term mental health problems such as depression or anxiety, new research based on NHS data shows.
In the first study of its kind, researchers at the University of Manchester analysed GP survey responses from 1.5 million patients in England, including 8,000 who were transgender.
One in six transgender patients reported having a long-term mental health condition, compared to one in ten across the rest of the population. Transgender patients were also more likely to say their GP was failing to meet their mental health needs. The government-funded study claimed that the main reason transgender patients had worse mental health was because of “widespread discrimination”, which created “a stressful environment, fear and internalised negative feelings”.
