Hyperbole and the Trans Suicide Myth
Posted with permission from lilymaynard.com:
It is incredibly difficult to approach the subject of suicide among trans-identified people without being labelled a hateful bigot who wants trans kids to kill themselves.
Yet one of the main concerns voiced by those who question the suicide myth is that trans-identified children are being fed the lie that if they are ‘truly trans’ there’s a 50/50 chance they will at least attempt suicide. This is a dangerous message to feed an already vulnerable population.
“The suicide rates have been misconstrued. And constant references to trans kids committing suicide will likely fuel suicide contagion.”
Lisa Marchiano, writer & Jungian Analyst
Who is at risk of suicide?
In the UK, the ONS reports that men are three times as vulnerable to death from suicide as women. Divorced men are three times more likely to take their own lives as married men. People among the most deprived 10% of society are more than twice as likely to die from suicide than the least deprived 10%. Carers, low-skiller workers and those who work in the arts have a higher risk of suicide than those in other jobs. Female nurses, nursery and primary school teachers are also at risk. Young people who are bullied, using drugs or alcohol to self-medicate and those who have been through trauma are also at high risk. VeryWell Mind reports that one study showed that patients with anorexia were 18 times more likely to die by suicide than in a comparison group.
In America, the Surgeon General reports that suicide among Native American and Alaska Native youth is three times higher than in American youth overall. Individuals in Justice and Child Welfare Settings, for example prisons and child care homes, are three times more likely to take their own lives. One in three detained youth have attempted suicide. The suicide rate among patients with bipolar disorders is estimated to be more than 25 times higher than the rate in the general population, with 15/19% dying by suicide.
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