Also, Transgendertrend analysed the Stonewall School Report 2017, where the 45% figure is from in this article:
www.transgendertrend.com/stonewall-school-report-what-does-suicide-rate-mean/
I'd just like to add, having looked into these claims previously, that these studies seem to
- not follow the scientific methods of suicide and suicidal ideation research
- not differentiate between suicidal ideation before, during or after transition =》 if the claim is that children must be affirmed otherwise they will try to kill themselves, it matters whether the suicide attempts happen before or after transition. There is research which suggests suicidal ideation does not decrease with transition.
- not acknowledge that suicides amongst adolescent children are rare and almost unheard of amongst prepubescent children. When a child or a young person commits suicide in the UK, there is always an inquest. If you search the database of these inquests for cases where transgender issues played a role, last time I looked there were none (that doesn't mean there were none, it might just mean that other issues might have been more important)
- ignore that the Tavistock itself has attempted to counter this narrative, stating in 2017 that the rate of suicidal ideation and attempts amongst its patients is in line with the rate of all children under CAHMS. I'm sure I saw a figure somewhere that they'd had one patient commit suicide out of over 5000, which does not seem to support the 45% claim.
- not control for co-morbid health conditions (a large majority of children diagnosed with gender dysphoria also suffer a range of mental health issues), so the researchers here do not even attempt to find out if other issues might be driving the suicidal ideation, such as anorexia, depression or trauma.
Finally, if you read the School Report 2017, it's easy to note the complete lack of supporting material. There is no information about the precise wording of the questions, there is no information about the data at all. Which means there is no way to tell how representative the results are for that age group. Or even if they are accurately reported.
A previous study I had looked into was cited as evidence that 35% of people who identify as trans had attempted suicide. But the actual study had asked about self harm and suicide in the same question. So 35% had self-harmed or attempted suicide. Not the same thing as 35% had attempted suicide at all
The survey was self-selecting which tends to normally be written up as a qualitative study (the who, the what, the how, the why but crucially not the how many in general).
The report is careless in its language
More than two in five trans young people (45 per cent) have at some point attempted to take their own life
Now normally a qualitative study would say
More than two in five (45%) of the trans young people who responded said they had at some point attempted to take their own life
But Stonewall generalises as if this had been a quantitative study. These figures are simply not credible.