ABSTRACT
The idea that there may be a genetic component to transgender results from studies of monozygotic and dizygotic twins that suggest that cross-gender identification is approximately 70-percent heritable. The most common psychiatric conditions seen in transgender individuals are internalising psychopathologies such as depression and anxiety. The real impact of negative societal reactions must be acknowledged and addressed at a societal level. Transgender individuals are significantly more likely to have attempted suicide compared to the general population. Transgender adults have lifetime suicide attempt rates of approximately 41 percent. More research is needed to understand how the mental health of these children changes over time notwithstanding any more immediate positive impacts, which might be expected, but in fact tell us little about the longer-term benefits and harms.
