Thanks for Using my Photo, in this review of Journal of Adolescent Health’s Chosen Name Use in Transgender Youth Linked to Reduced Depression and Suicide

Thanks for using my photograph, @Mad_in_America in this review of an article published in @JAdolesHealth.

I pulled the article and reviewed it:

For transgender youth who choose a name different from the name given at birth, use of their chosen name in multiple contexts appears to affirm their gender identity and lower mental health risks known to be high in this group.Russell ST, Pollitt AM, Li G, Grossman AH. Chosen Name Use Is Linked to Reduced Depressive Symptoms, Suicidal Ideation, and Suicidal Behavior Among Transgender Youth. J Adolesc Heal [Internet]. 2018 Mar [cited 2018 Apr 13]; Available from: http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1054139X18300855

This finding from the study strongly corroborates my experiences from the KPLantern project and the incredible mismatch between the expectations of medical professionals and the people they serve.

We/I learned there that one of the most important things health care can do to support our patients who are transgender or gender nonconforming is to use people’s names correctly.

This is also tied to a recent study I blogged about here, which shows that it’s far more costly to humans and the health care system to deny care than to provide it for these populations:

Just Read: Temporal Trends in Gender-Affirming Surgery Among Transgender Patients, Insights from Study Authors, Evidence that Providing Medical care is more Cost-effective than Denying It

Also relevant here is this story from Diana Forsythe, given to me by @SusannahFox 10 (!) years ago:

Involving Patients: Her (Diana Forsythe’s) paper should be inscribed on cubicle walls…

The ability of transgender youth to use their chosen name is connected to reduced depressive symptoms and suicidal thoughts/behaviors

Source: Chosen Name Use in Transgender Youth Linked to Reduced Depression and Suicide