#suicidality
I have seen a growing number of people citing statistics about increased suicide risk as evidence that therapists/psychologists/counselors/society should not support trans people’s identities and transitions. Gina Loudon told Fox News that those who supported trans people’s right to transition were “science deniers,” claiming that research has found that trans people’s suicide risk increases 20-fold when they transition (spoiler: that statistic is inaccurate). Michael Cook recently penned a blog post titled “What do the statistics say about transgender mental health?”, in which he concluded that the idea that trans people’s psychological stress will be relieved through transitioning is pure deception that runs counter to the evidence. Heath Lambert, professor of biblical counseling who counsels trans people to avoid transition, defends his position by stating that trans people who have transitioned still have higher rates than the general population.
I’ll be clear: Trans people do have increased suicide risk. Across all demographics, if a person is transgender they are more likely to seriously consider and attempt suicide.1The research, however, just flat out does not support the above views that this increased risk is due to some instability associated with undergoing a gender transition. I propose we take a thorough look at the statistics and the science on trans suicide, so we can get a grasp on what we do know about trans people’s suicide risk. Below are 8 consistent findings from the literature on trans suicide.
On my other, psychology-focused blog, I break down the research on trans suicide to get a better sense of what contributes to trans people’s increased risk of suicidality.
Spoiler: Transitioning does not increase a person’s risk of seriously considering or attempting suicide.
Sometimes the outside world makes you unsafe. Sometimes people harm you physically or emotionally, even people you should be able to trust.
And sometimes the inside world makes you unsafe. Sometimes you might cause yourself physical or emotional harm, even though you’re the person you should be able to trust the most.
We’ve been discussing the past couple days whether I am safe or unsafe. We’ve been discussing whether I trust myself not to attempt suicide. For right now, I trust that my thinking is just thinking, with no intention to act. If that changes, if I begin to doubt my ability to keep myself safe, I’ll go to other people who can help me with that, other people who can keep me safe. That may even mean being hospitalized, however much I would hate that.
I wasn’t able to keep myself safe from other people who hurt me, but I can keep myself safe from myself. I didn’t have the resources when I was a kid, but now I do. I *will* ask for help if I need it. I swear it. I swear it to myself and to the people who love me.
Did you know that people commit suicide even in Hawaii? It should be paradise, right? It should make people happy, right?
Making decisions
The husband and I spent quite a while yesterday discussing whether I needed to go into inpatient hospitalization, because I’ve been having suicidal ideation for about a week, but I don’t have any urges to act on it … but my moods are so unstable lately that by the time we realized I was having urges it might be too late.
Thus far, we’ve decided I don’t need hospitalization to keep me safe. I’m seeing my therapist *and* going to a group therapy session today. I think I can keep myself safe and don’t need hospitalization to do it for me. They would just let me out in 3 days, anyway, because I’m not an immediate danger to myself or others.
And I *do* have a plan (the doctors always ask you if you “have a plan”), but it’s one that takes days to accomplish, so it would give me plenty of time to come to my senses.
i’ve started replacing “i want to die” with “i feel overwhelmed” in my internal monologue, which is usually more accurate and more productive
In recent years, hallucinogens ranging from LSD and ecstasy (MDMA/Molly) to salvia divinorum and ketamine have garnered renewed interest as potential as therapeutics for a variety of psychiatric conditions. Both LSD and ketamine, for example, are being widely studied as a treatment for major depression.
In a study published online April 28, 2022 in the journal Addictive Behaviors, researchers at UC San Diego School of Medicine and New York University investigated how use of these substances outside of medical settings relates to subsequent psychological distress, depression and suicidality.
They examined data from a representative sampling of noninstitutionalized adults (2015-2020) who had reported specific drug use on the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, and whether that use was associated with any reported serious psychological distress, major depressive episode (MDE) or suicidality.
The researchers found that LSD was associated with an increased likelihood of MDE and suicidal thinking. Salvia divinorum, a plant species with psychoactive properties when its leaves are consumed by chewing, smoking or as a tea, was linked to increased suicidal thinking. The hallucinogens DMT, AMT and Foxy were associated with suicidal planning.
Sometimes called “Maria Pastora” or “Sally-D,” Salvia divinorum contains opioid-like compounds that induce hallucinations when the leaves are chewed, smoke or brewed in a tea. Researcher found the plant also induces an increased likelihood of suicidal thinking.
Conversely, ecstasy use was associated with a decreased likelihood of serious psychological distress, MDE and suicidal planning.
“The findings suggest there are differences among specific hallucinogens with respect to depression and suicidality,” wrote authors Kevin H. Yang, a fourth year medical student; Benjamin H. Han, MD, an assistant adjunct professor at UC San Diego School of Medicine; and Joseph J. Palamar of New York University. “More research is warranted to understand consequences of and risk factors for hallucinogen use outside of medical settings among adults experiencing depression or suicidality.”
— Scott LaFee
If you or someone you know may be considering suicide, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 (En Español: 1-888-628-9454; Deaf and Hard of Hearing: 1-800-799-4889) or the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741.
Having chronic suicidal thoughts is hard. Really hard. And really scary. It’s one thing to get close to hurting yourself once, but some of us have to do it again and again. What if one time our will fails?
Despite it all, there IS a silver lining. I now know I can get through anything. I mean anything. I have survived my brain yelling at me to kill myself time and time again. I made it this far. There’s not a damn thing that can stop me.
I will endure pain, grief, panic, uncertainty as we all do. It’ll suck, as it always does. But I KNOW I’ll come out the other side. Because to me, nothing can be scarier than chronic intrusive suicidal thoughts. Life can’t throw anything at me that my brain hasn’t already tried to destroy me with.
I mean maybe I’m just like really well medicated for mood disorders rn but I am footloose and fancy free and ready to absolutely fuckin savor this life I fought so hard for.
