In Case You Haven't Heard…

Abstract

The mental health of transgender adults may be linked to having identity documents with their preferred name and gender, according to new research that found lower rates of distress and suicidal thoughts among people with matching IDs, The National Post reported March 17. The U.S.‐based findings indicate legal gender recognition in documents should be considered a “key social and structural determinant of trans people's health,” according to the study published this week in The Lancet Public Health. Several U.S. states have nonbinary gender options such as “X” on driver's licenses and birth certificates, and advocates have pushed for more widespread use of the practice. Using data from the largest ever survey of trans adults, the study found those with gender‐affirming IDs had a lower prevalence of serious psychological distress, suicidal ideas and suicide planning. U.S. transgender adults, estimated to be 1.4 million people, are three to four times more likely to attempt suicide than adults among the general population, it said. While the findings do not prove that having matching IDs directly leads to better mental health, it makes sense that a relationship exists, said Dr. Ayden Scheim, a social epidemiologist at Drexel University in Philadelphia who co‐authored the study.