Researchers surveyed more than 850 trans young 
people for Trans Pathways, the largest study ever
conducted with trans young people in Australia on their mental health.
The survey is really important because it tells us that
young trans people in our community are
experiencing really high levels of distress
and as a community we have a responsibility to do something about it.
The survey found the overwhelming majority of trans young people
had been diagnosed with depression and/or anxiety, rates about 10 times higher
than seen in the general Australian young person population.
It also found many trans young people had 
experienced post traumatic stress disorder,
an eating disorder or substance use disorder.
We asked trans young people what may be causing these mental health issues.
They told us that it was common for them to experience 
issues at school, university and TAFE.
Many trans young people felt that they had a lack of family support.
They also experienced discrimination and bullying.
Trans Pathways found almost all trans young people had thought about self-harm
and four in five had actually harmed themselves.
Most have had suicidal thoughts, and one in two trans 
young people had attempted to end their life.
As a society we need to accept gender diversity and we need to provide support
for young people and their families who are trans.
It's not being trans that leads to poor mental 
health, it's societal attitudes towards trans people
that lead these young people to experience mental health issues.
A large portion of trans young people reported 
experiencing discrimination, a lack of family support
and almost one in five have been homeless
while many said they'd reached out to a medical or mental health provider
who did not understand, respect
or have experience with gender diverse people.
Based on these findings researchers have put together a comprehensive list
of recommendations for a range of groups and sectors.
You can find these along with the full report online.
We hope that the results from this survey 
will help services become more trans friendly
will help parents understand how they can better support their trans child
and overall help to promote societal change.
