Mental Health Awareness: Should Transgender Identity Be Considered as a Mental Health Problem?

Recent studies revealed that transgender identity is not considered as a mental health problem. The researchers debunked the claim that transgender individuals are part of WHO International Classification of Disease.

Psych Central released a report where it was highlighted that "transgender identity" should be taken out of the ICD list. The study led by the National Institute of Psychiatry, Ramon de le Fuente Muniz, studied 250 transgender individuals. As the study progressed, it was revealed that their distress and dysfunction is often caused by social rejection, and violence from their peers. These traits surface because of a given stimulant, and is not innate among transgender individuals. '

"Our findings support the idea that distress and dysfunction may be the result of stigmatization and maltreatment, rather than integral aspects of transgender identity," the researchers wrote for the conclusion of their study. "This study highlights the need for policies and programs to reduce stigmatization and victimization of people with transgender identities. The removal of transgender diagnoses from the classification of mental disorders can be a useful part of those efforts."

TIME then added that the study was published in The Lancet where it was discussed that transgender identity should not have been added on the list of mental disorders in the first place. The stigma on transgender discrimination continually grew as the years progressed as most of them are being bullied an unaccepted by their parents.

It was then revealed that around 1.4 million Americans are transgender. In 2012, a study revealed that 57% of teenagers with unsupportive parents tend to commit suicide, while only 4% of them claims to have supportive parents.

 "Having grown up as a child and an adult who experienced gender incongruence, I'm personally very clear it's not a mental disorder," says Jamison Green, president of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health and a transgender man. "There is stress that's created as a result of having it reflected back to you that there's something wrong with you."