A study published in The Journal of Pediatrics found that transgender and gender-diverse adolescents and young adults experience a significant decline in suicidal tendencies following hormone treatment.

The paper, which is titled ‘Changes in Suicidality among Transgender Adolescents following Hormone Therapy’, analysed suicidal tendencies in 432 patients between the ages of 12 and 20 years old, who were being treated for gender dysphoria at clinics in the Midwestern region of the United States.

The participants received individualised treatment, which, in addition to hormone therapy, could include gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists, which are used to suppress puberty temporarily.

Throughout the duration of the study, the participants underwent a screening process called Ask Suicide-Screening Questions (ASQ) that assessed their levels of suicide ideation and behaviour.

18.5% of participants on hormone treatment showed a decrease in their ASQ scores from the start to the conclusion of the study. 75.5% of patients scored zero at both the start and the conclusion of the study. 1.4% showed no change in their ASQ non-zero score, which indicated “chronic yet stable suicidality”.

4.6% of participants showed an increase in their ASQ score, which could reflect “underlying mental health issues, environmental stressors, relief at baseline knowing they may be starting HT, or pre-existing trajectories or worsening suicidality that may have slowed, but not reversed, rather than an adverse effect of HT.”

In the study’s results summary, the researchers wrote that “suicidality significantly declined from pre-treatment to post-treatment”. This was “consistent across sex assigned at birth, age at start of therapy, and treatment duration”.

The researchers, led by Luke R. Allen, PhD, wrote that hormone therapy was “associated with clinically meaningful reductions in suicidality over time, extending prior findings with a larger sample and longer follow-up”.

The report states that the findings “provide clinical evidence supporting the mental health benefits of timely access to hormone therapy in this population”.

If you have been affected by this story or are looking to reach out to someone for support, advice, or just to talk, there are numerous services available for LGBTQ+ people, listed below, and many offer instant messaging support.

Samaritans
National LGBT+ Helpline
The Switchboard
Dublin Lesbian Line
Belong To
TENI
Aware
Pieta House
Jigsaw
Mental Health Ireland
Garda Confidential Line