29/02/2024
Long waiting times for gender identity treatment are amongst the reasons analysts believe that trans and non-binary people report a greater prevalence of mental health distress than their cisgender counterparts. Radio News Hub website takes up the story, saying " the study of 1.5 million people aged 16 and over, including almost 8,000 transgender people, is the first which can be said to be nationally representative. The research, published in the Lancet Public Health journal, looked at self-reported mental health conditions. Its findings suggested the risk of having a long-term mental health condition in England is around one in six for transgender men and women, compared with one in 10 for cisgender men and women". Dr Ruth Watkinson, from the University of Manchester, said: “Poor communication from healthcare professionals and inadequate staff-patient relationships may explain why trans, non-binary, and gender diverse patients were more likely to report their mental health needs were not met at recent general practice appointments.”
Dr Watkinson added: “Changes are urgently needed for the NHS to become a more supportive service to transgender, non-binary, and gender diverse patients, including improved recording of gender across healthcare records systems and staff training to ensure healthcare professionals meet the mental health needs of all patients, whatever their gender.”
https://www.radionewshub.com/articles/news-updates/Higher-likelihood-of-...
