The vast majority of transgender people report struggling with mental health issues like depression, anxiety and PTSD, with prejudice against the community as one of the most significant driving factors, according to a new report.
The new State of Trans+ Mental Health 2024 report by mental health advocacy company VODA was produced by surveying over 2,165 individuals from 75 countries.
It found a disproportionate burden of mental health conditions for transgender, gender-diverse and non-binary people, including high prevalence of depression, anxiety, PTSD, and comorbidities.
Of the nearly seven in ten respondents who reported having a mental health disorder, anxiety (76.1%) and depression (71.2%) were the most common.
The cause for many of the issues was the rising culture of hate and violence directed towards transgender communities across the world.
Although gender dysphoria was listed as a core factor in eight in ten respondent’s causes for their poor mental health, the same number said they had anxiety about social acceptance.
Meanwhile, seven in ten (70.7%) listed fear of discrimination as a driving force, this was followed only by family rejection, which six in ten were facing (59.9%).
The report found large gaps and a lack of accessible, trans-inclusive mental health support.
Nearly half of the respondents expressed difficulties accessing resources catering to their specific needs. This was compounded by figures that show even when transgender people can access services, over half have a “difficult” or “very difficult” experience.
Case studies featured in the report expressed the need for either exclusive transgender mental health services or for therapists to be more clued up on the lived experiences of transgender lived experiences.
“The need for specialised trans+ mental health services has never been more clear,” Jaron Soh, founder of VODA, says.
“This report highlights the urgency of addressing the gaps in mental healthcare, ensuring that trans+ individuals have access to compassionate and inclusive support.”
Many transgender people are turning to self-help toolsJaron Soh, founder of VODA, set up the app after his own struggle with his LGBTQ identity.
However, after therapy and using apps to support his growth, he found that they only addressed surface-level issues.
“Many apps simply teach you Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). While it’s effective for certain issues, it often doesn’t delve deep enough. Especially into the specific challenges faced by the LGBTQ community.”
Soh explained earlier this year that CBT helps you identify and change negative thought patterns. That it is indeed valuable to alter behavioural and emotional responses.
However, it doesn’t always address the root causes of distress. Ones that are intertwined with systemic issues like homophobia, transphobia, and societal stigma.
Soh wanted to find a similar approach, but with a queer context that applies lessons from internalized homophobia or transphobia, navigating queer relationships, and understanding gender identity in a world that largely adheres to a binary view.
Therapy is a helpful approach to take to help people resolve their past. But for many LGBTQ people, problems are not simply individual. Soh calls them “manifestations of broader societal injustices and stigma.”
For him, the app is not just aiming to be a challenge to others in the field – including other queer-dedicated ones. He also hopes any individual support they provide sits into a broader ecosystem of social justice:
“I hope it gives people the tools to cope and self-regulate, but we also play a part in addressing the systemic issues that are causing LGBTQ mental harm in the first place.”
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