Family Rejection may Increase Suicide Risk in Transgenders

More than 42% of the individuals reported a suicide attempt, and over 26% had misused drugs or alcohol to cope with transgender-related discrimination.

Family rejection increases the risk of suicide attempts and substance misuse, the two critical health outcomes that are common among transgender individuals according to a new study published in LGBT Health.

The findings presented in the article "Family Rejection as a Predictor of Suicide Attempts and Substance Misuse Among Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Adults" by coauthors Augustus Klein, MSW and Sarit Golub, PhD, MPH, City University of New York, are based on data from the National Transgender Discrimination Survey.

Overview Suicide
Suicide is an act of ending one's own life and it usually results from emotional isolations and inability to adjust and cope with one's environment.

‘Family support and acceptance reduces the stress among transgenders which causes them to attempt suicide.’

Overall, more than 42% of the individuals who self-identified as transgender or gender nonconforming reported a suicide attempt, and over 26% had misused drugs or alcohol to cope with transgender-related discrimination. The researchers report the increased risk of these health outcomes for individuals who experienced high or moderate levels of family rejection compared to little or no rejection.

"Gender minority stress and stigma contribute to the increased rates of depression, anxiety disorders, suicidality, and substance abuse in the transgender population. This study underscores the importance of family support and acceptance in mitigating that stress," says LGBT Health Editor-in-Chief William Byne, MD, PhD, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

Depression - Symptom Evaluation
Depression occurs due to alterations in the levels of neurotransmitters in the brain.

Source-Eurekalert

Drug Abuse | Drug Addiction | Substance Abuse - Overview
The use of Drugs for reasons other than its prescribed recommendation, is known as Drug abuse or substance abuse. Drug abuse or substance abuse is initiated by various biological and social factors.

Impact of Drug Abuse on Health and Society
Drug abuse is a negative social trend that pushes youth to drug addiction in the pretext of getting psychological effects like excitation.