Mental health implications of gender affirming care: bridging the communication and supportive gap

Gender-affirming healthcare is a comprehensive approach that aims to support individuals in transitioning from the gender assigned to them at birth to their affirmed gender, aligning with their gender identity. This type of care involves medically necessary and scientifically supported interventions within a multidisciplinary framework. Gender dysphoria, also known as gender incongruence or transsexuality, refers to the experience of a mismatch between an individual's biological sex and their internal sense of gender, known as gender identity. Gender identity can encompass a range of expressions and may include identifying as neither exclusively male nor female, allowing for a spectrum of gender diversity. Studies conducted in the past have revealed alarming statistics, showing that transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) individuals face a 41% lifetime prevalence of suicide attempts, a lifetime prevalence of binge drinking ranging from 7% to 61%, and a 33% prevalence of tobacco use. The increased vulnerability to adverse mental health outcomes among TGD individuals can be attributed to a variety of factors, including the presence of stigma, discrimination, pathologization, economic marginalization, violence, and the distress arising from a misalignment between their gender identity and societal expectations rooted in their assigned sex at birth. Research reveals that a significant proportion of gender and sexual minority adults have experienced discrimination from healthcare providers, with approximately 8% of sexual minorities and 25% of transgender individuals reporting being denied healthcare services. This review outlines the bridging of the communication and supportive gap in gender-affirming care to improve patient outcomes and overall quality of care.