A new study found a significantly higher risk of suicide attempts, self-harm, and PTSD for individuals who have undergone gender transition surgeries.
The study, published in April, found that individuals who had undergone gender transition surgery had a 12-fold higher suicide attempt risk than those who had not, a statistic that sparked significant attention online Friday.
The study was conducted using data from 90 million U.S. adult patients between the ages of 18 and 60. It did not include minors.
Researchers examined emergency room treatment data in this age bracket for patients who had undergone previous gender transition surgery, compared to those who had no reproductive surgeries and also patients who had sterilizing surgeries, including vasectomy and tubal ligation.
The de-identified patient data does not clarify at what age the patient surgically transitioned.
The results showed that 3.5% of those who had surgically transitioned were treated for suicide attempts, compared to 0.3% of non-transitioned patients. Medically transitioned patients were also treated for suicide or self-harm at 4.5% and PTSD at 9.2%, compared to 0.5% and 1.2%, respectively, for non-transitioned patients.
The rates of suicide attempt, self-harm, and PTSD are also slightly higher for those who underwent vasectomy or tubal ligation, but they do not reach the levels of transgender patients in any category.
The study was recently uploaded to PubMed, the National Institute of Health database of peer-reviewed studies to inform doctors of the latest research in their fields to better treat patients.
Limitations to the study include a lack of representation as to why transgender patients had higher rates of suicidality, self-harm, and PTSD. It also does not examine whether adverse mental health conditions were present prior to surgery.
Dr. Dietrich Jehle, an author of the study and the Program Director for the Emergency Medicine Department of the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, did not respond to the Washington Examiner’s request for comment.
Although there has been a long-standing debate over whether or not to treat underage patients with gender dysphoria with mental health techniques or physical and anatomical intervention, the discussion has heightened in recent weeks following the publication of a 388-page report from the U.K.’s National Health Services last month.
The report, written by pediatrician and President of the Royal College of Pediatrics Hilary Cass, consisted of a comprehensive review of global evidence and data on gender transition for minors, finding that medically transitioning minors have serious harmful effects.
Cass found that arguments in favor of sex transition for minors in the U.K. were “built on shaky foundations” and supported by “remarkably weak evidence.”
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In August, the American Academy of Pediatrics reaffirmed its support of gender transition for minors, promising to undergo a systematic review of scholarship on the topic.
Over 20 states in the U.S. have either outlawed gender transition surgeries for minors or issued restrictions on hormonal gender transition therapies.